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Everyone talks about carbon emissions and the need to reduce them to zero, while many ignore methane, this gas has no color or odor, and therefore it is emitted into the air without irritating most people. , and without making enough effort to monitor and measure it.
But nowadays there is growing global interest in methane, not only because it’s a problem, but because it offers an opportunity to get quick results in efforts to fight climate change.
The reason is that methane gas decomposes and disappears in the atmosphere for a period that cannot exceed 12 years, which is a short period compared to the carbon dioxide that remains in the atmosphere for hundreds of years. The Earth heats more efficiently.
According to some predictions, a third of predicted global warming could be avoided by reducing human-made methane emissions with relatively simple measures, without the need for new technologies or reduced consumption.
The International Energy Agency estimates that oil and gas activities alone emitted 70 million tonnes of methane into the atmosphere last year, a figure equivalent to the sector’s total carbon dioxide emissions. energy of the European Union.
The agency says the world must reduce methane emissions to 44 million tonnes by 2025, and then to 21 million tonnes by 2030, to be able to achieve the sustainable development scenario.
That is, it is necessary to reduce methane emissions by 70% in just ten years.
Although the emissions of this gas are lower than the emissions of carbon dioxide, the problem is that it has a much greater capacity to trap heat in the atmosphere, as it is believed to be responsible. a quarter of global warming. caused by human activities.
The problem is how to detect invisible methane clouds, and there are already complaints against countries that deliberately hide their emissions of this gas.
But due to growing global interest in environmental issues, major international oil companies have been forced to launch drones, planes and satellites to monitor and stop any methane leaks.
Recently, new technologies have emerged that have detected these leaks in many places, from rickety Russian gas pipelines to old oil wells in Virginia.
The good news is that there is an incentive for oil and gas companies to reduce methane emissions – that is, it is economically feasible to capture as much of it as possible, rather than letting it be emitted into the gas. air, because methane has a high commercial value. .
Saudi Arabia, for example, has made significant progress in this regard, as Aramco began in 1977 to seize and process associated gas, intended for use in power generation and other sectors. As a result, the associated gas flaring rates in Aramco’s flares reached near zero.
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