Near-record energy sector methane emissions expected to fall: IEA

Fossil fuel emissions from methane, which is more powerful than carbon dioxide, are projected to fall after rising last year, according to a report. report The International Energy Agency (IEA) announced on Wednesday.

According to the IEA, the leading emitters will emit about 80 million tons of methane emissions from fossil fuels in 2023, with the United States leading in oil and gas emissions and China in coal emissions. Ta. Overall, methane emissions for the year were about 120 million tons, slightly more than in 2022.

At the 2023 COP28 summit in Dubai, participating countries agreed to a commitment to reduce global methane emissions, which, if implemented, would reduce overall emissions by 25 tonnes by the end of the decade, according to the IEA. It will be reduced soon. Most of these reductions will come from the oil and gas industry. The companies that signed the Oil and Gas Decarbonization Charter (OGDC) at the summit are responsible for an estimated 25 percent of global methane emissions from oil and gas.

But overall, the IEA says methane emissions need to be cut by at least 75 percent to avoid 1.5 degrees Celsius of warming, the internationally agreed standard to avoid catastrophic climate change. I predict that.

Although methane dissipates into the atmosphere faster than carbon emissions, it is highly effective at trapping heat in the atmosphere, contributing to an estimated 30% rise in temperatures since the Industrial Revolution.

“To prevent global warming from reaching dangerous levels, it is essential to reduce methane emissions from fossil fuels by 75 percent by 2030,” IEA Director-General Fatih Birol said in a statement. We are encouraged by the momentum we have seen in recent months, and our analysis shows that this momentum has the potential to quickly lead to major changes in the global fight against climate change.” .

The study comes days after the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency finalized updated rules on methane emissions, which are projected to reduce methane emissions by up to 58 million tons by 2038. The State of Texas has announced that it will file a lawsuit on behalf of the State Railroad Commission. Its primary oil and gas regulator.