Waste not, want not: How methane biogases can help us reach our climate goals 

The Biden administration is cracking down on methane emissions from oil and gas operations.

Officially, they account for 28 percent of U.S. methane emissions; new research It shows that methane leaks are even worse than we thought. But we also need significant reductions in emissions from: Other major methane sources, including agriculture (currently accounting for 34 percent of U.S. methane emissions and rising as EPA’s latest greenhouse gas inventory); Note) and landfills (according to the EPA, 16 percent of U.S. methane emissions, but new data shows landfills emit more) 40% increase in methane (than previously reported).

There is an urgent need to eradicate methane.climate super pollutants” — 87 times more potent than carbon dioxide over 20 years. This is responsible for about a third of modern warming, and record atmospheric methane concentrations are closely correlated with record high temperatures in 2023. Cutting it off is the most powerful tool to limit global warming in the coming decades.

In May, EPA’s new source performance standards for oil and gas production will begin to be phased in. By 2029, 130 million tons of methane will be removed. 86% of annual methane emissions from oil and gas production (Comparison with 2020). This year, oil and gas businesses will also start paying higher fees for emitting more than 25,000 tonnes of methane a year, a provision of the Inflation Control Act that requires urgent compliance.

Assuming lawsuit These countermeasure challenges have failed and, if fully implemented, would at best reduce overall U.S. methane emissions by 17.5 percent. That’s important, but it only brings us about halfway to the goal of reducing methane emissions by 30% by 2030 (or “30×30” for short). the minimum required Keep the temperature within 1.5℃.

of Global methane pledgeSpearheaded by President Biden and European Union leaders, 155 countries have signed on, pledging to 30×30. But it’s one thing to make a commitment; it’s another to have detailed and well-funded plans, regulations, and laws to fulfill that commitment.Those currently on the table may bring us the following 20% reduction worldwide by 2030not 30 percent.

The question is: How can the United States achieve its own 30×30 goal? If new oil and gas measures reduce methane emissions by 17.5 percent by 2030, where will the remaining 12.5 percent come from?

Not by phasing out oil and gas.while data center Strengthen AI and cryptocurrency mining, electric car chargingand the ambition ofconvert everything to electricity” and electricity demand is accelerating. To achieve this, we need to sustain oil and gas production well beyond 2030, while reducing methane leaks and deploying renewable energy as soon as possible.

But even wind and solar cannot achieve 30×30.Even the most optimistic scenario for building them Not as good as that Toward achieving 2030 emissions targets. To keep up with the growth in electricity demand, power companies sometimes resort to measures such as: Extending the lifespan of carbon- and methane-intensive coal-fired power plants.

nuclear that’s not the answer, which one. Does not emit methane, but has economic and safety issues It is unavoidable for conventional nuclear power plants to reach 30×30. Ten and 20 Small modular reactors that take years to build It won’t happen before 2030 At most.

However, there is one scalable option that can achieve 30×30. It’s about harnessing America’s vast organic waste streams as a renewable energy resource.

Food waste and farm manure can be processed in air-free tanks called anaerobic digesters (ADs), which capture the methane biogas released during decomposition. Instead of letting these biogases escape into the atmosphere and causing further warming, these biogases can be captured and burned on-site for heat and electricity. This emits CO2, but compared to emitting methane, the net benefit to the climate is greater. Alternatively, biogas can be refined into pipeline-grade renewable natural gas, the lowest carbon fuel available.

Renewable natural gas from AD captures more greenhouse gases during production than is emitted during combustion, so it is often net carbon negative over its lifecycle. It can light power plants, fuel vehicles, and do anything that fossil natural gas does. It can also replace other fossil fuels that consume large amounts of carbon and methane. up to 25 percent Percentage of current U.S. road diesel fuel usage.

AD strategies divert food waste from landfills and eliminate the sources of food waste. 58 percent of methane emissions sent to landfills. Converting methane-intensive dairy products and pig manure into renewable energy, biofertilizer, and income for farmers.

All of this adds up to a significant reduction in methane emissions. According to the new study According to the NGO Energy Vision, if 4,700 new ADs were built to process half of the nation’s food waste (the other half should be redistributed for human consumption) and agricultural fertilizers, the entire U.S. methane emissions would be reduced. Volume will be reduced by 13.6%.

This could be achieved quickly and relatively cheaply, with each project taking two to six years and costing a total of $74.2 billion, the study found.Private investment could be supplemented by: $5 billion in federal grants and other federal funds Under the Inflation Control Act. Compare this to Georgia’s Bogle Unit 3. 17 years Construction cost is $35 billion.

Add in the 13.6% reduction in U.S. methane emissions from the rapid ramp-up of AD and the 17.5% reduction from new oil and gas measures, and you’re left with 30×30, and then some.Composting and Microorganisms that eat methane It also helps reduce methane emissions. AD is now proven, scalable, and offers maximum cost-effectiveness. If left unchecked, organic waste in the United States has a significant impact on climate change. It is also a major renewable energy resource that remains largely untapped. Things can change as you scale up AD.

Matt Tomich is the president of the nonprofit organization energy vision.