Support for one of the least expensive and most effective climate
initiatives is growing worldwide, and the timing of this movement couldn't
be more critical.
Leaders are being forced to focus more on measures that can limit extreme
heat within decades as a result of the planet's rapid warming. As a result,
countries are beginning to take the reduction of unnecessary methane
emissions from fossil fuel production more seriously.
According to a Bloomberg Green story from last month, U.S. officials are
talking with their colleagues in Turkmenistan about how to assist the
country in limiting some of the worst methane emissions in the world, which
come from its old oil and gas facilities. Regulations from the European
Union may also make it possible to reduce the amount of greenhouse gases
that leak from the coal mines throughout the continent.
According to calculations by Bloomberg and the energy think tank Ember, the
combined measures would have about the same short-term climate effect as
wiping out roughly 290 million tons of CO2 annually if all the gas that has
been leaked or vented by Turkmenistan's energy sector was salvaged and
burned instead and the EU regulations came into effect. That would be the
equivalent of wiping out Taiwan's emissions, the top chip manufacturer in
the world and the 21st worst polluter. In the upcoming weeks, the
Environmental Protection Agency in the United States is anticipated to
present its strategy for enacting a new methane emissions charge that was
required by the comprehensive climate bill that was passed last year.
The steps might signal a move toward real climate action, even if
significant gas emissions reductions from the energy sector are still
required from many more nations worldwide, particularly from large polluters
like China and Russia.
According to Alice C. Hill, a senior scholar at the Council on Foreign
Relations, "the potential U.S.-Turkmenistan deal and the new EU legislation
show demonstrable progress in reducing global methane pollution,
demonstrating that the 2021 Global Methane Pledge is more than just a
promise."
One of the easiest things to do in the fight against climate change is to
stop methane from being released from coal mines, natural gas and oil
production, whether on purpose or by accident. This is because reducing the
amount of methane released can often be achieved by simply modernizing and
optimizing infrastructure.
Operators may be able to offer more products as a result of such
renovations. It is estimated by the International Energy Agency that around
40% of emissions from gas and oil may be adopted at no net cost. The EPA
claims that there is also a good chance to reduce methane emissions from
big, permeable underground coal mines. While there is still some warming
associated with burning methane, the main component of natural gas, it is
far less than if the uncombusted gas escapes directly into the sky.
According to Sabina Assan, an Ember methane analyst, coal mines in Europe
currently capture and control a significant portion of the methane that
erupts from their mines, but frequently fail to process or combust it before
shipping it to markets. As a result, she estimates that the new EU
regulations could reduce methane emissions from coal mines in the bloc by
almost 40% by 2040. The rules may alter and still need to go through final
discussions with the member nations of the bloc.
Assan explained, "This is essentially just asking mines to improve the
systems they already have in place." "It's really not that expensive, and
it's something they should be doing already."
The EU regulations, according to Assan, are important because they measure
and mitigate emissions from both active and abandoned mines. This is because
many shafts continue to leak methane long after they cease production,
despite the disappointment of some climate activist groups that the
regulations aren't more ambitious.
Turkmenistan is a vital component of the global climate puzzle, despite its
sparse population and infrequent appearance in international news. This is
because it is home to the fourth-largest natural gas reserves in the world
and produces more methane per unit of oil and gas output than any other
significant oil or gas-producing nation. According to an examination of
satellite data by Kayrros SAS, Turkmenistan accounted for the bulk of the
world's 500 most intense global methane leaks since 2019 that have been
linked to the oil and gas industry.
A plan that includes steps to research the possibility of the nation
joining the worldwide Methane Pledge, a project sponsored by the United
States and the European Union aimed at reducing worldwide emissions of the
gas by thirty percent by the end of the decade, was authorized by President
Serdar Berdymukhamedov. Present estimates place gas waste in Turkmenistan at
7% due to intentional flaring or venting as well as unintentional
leakage.
According to persons familiar with the conversations, the U.S. may be able
to offer financial support through the Export-Import Bank to oil service
companies such as Halliburton Co. and SLB, formerly Schlumberger, who are
trying to find leaks and repair equipment in Turkmenistan.
Manfredi Caltagirone, the director of the United Nations Environment
Program's International Methane Emissions Observatory (IMEO), said, "It is
very encouraging that Turkmenistan is stepping up efforts to mitigate its
methane emissions, and that international partners are ready to support
Turkmenistan in this journey."
Additionally, the US government is taking many measures to combat methane
leaks from oil fields. A landmark proposal that the Environmental Protection
Agency is anticipated to complete by the end of this year would restrict the
use of flaring—the process by which natural gas at oil wells is burned off
as less potent carbon dioxide—and require routine monitoring for leaks at
even tiny wells. Company blueprints for plugging them would also be
necessary.
According to US officials, the regulations would allow oil and gas
producers to keep more than 80% of the proceeds from the sale of natural gas
that would otherwise go unrecorded. EPA's proposed rules are projected to
reduce methane emissions, however the expected reductions are not linear,
and the agency did not provide an annual breakdown.
On the other hand, the agency's 12-year timescale, when the predicted
cutbacks are averaged, indicates that the measures would prevent around 2.7
million metric tons of methane from entering the atmosphere each year. Since
methane is a strong greenhouse gas, removing 225 million metric tons of
carbon dioxide annually or stopping Pakistan's emissions will have the same
short-term climatic impact.
Prior to COP26 in 2021, the US and the EU elevated methane to a high
priority, which helped to unite almost 150 countries behind the global
commitment. The emphasis now is on taking action locally rather than on
adding additional nations to the project, which was first announced nearly
two years ago.
Global methane emissions are expected to rise by 30% by 2030, but this
target is unlikely to be reached, according to David Oxley, director of
climate economics at Capital Economics. In a recent statement, Oxley stated
that the attempts to address methane emissions "give us confidence" that
emissions will begin to decrease this decade.
