Methane
Table of Contents
Introduction
Percent of Global Warming Caused: 30%
Percent Produced by Humanity: 60%
The largest portion includes 141.4Mt from Farming (livestock waste and gases, as well as gases released from flooded fields, particularly rice),followed by the energy system, and waste in landfills.
Atmospheric concentrations of methane are 2.5x higher than in pre-industrial times, and it traps 84 times more heat than carbon dioxide over the first 2 decades in the atmosphere.
"The difference is that methane’s power fades faster, within just decades. If we stopped emissions today, almost all the methane in the atmospheric blanket would degrade within a lifetime."
Sources of Methane
The following are listed from greatest to least (to the best of our ability) and based on this data.
Agriculture
"The agriculture sector, which emits an estimated 40 to 50 percent of anthropogenic methane, could achieve a 12 percent reduction in these emissions by 2030 and a 30 percent reduction by 2050. Agricultural emissions are primarily the result of ruminant animals (principally cows and sheep), farming practices, and rice production." - McKinsey Sustainability
Enteric Fermentation from Livestock
~25-30%
"Ruminants create methane during digestion, along with CO2 and other gasses. The impact is significant: ruminants account for almost 70 percent of agricultural emissions. They are responsible globally for more carbon-dioxide-equivalent (CO2e) emissions than every country except China." - McKinsey Sustainability
Biomass Burning
~8-10%
Around the world, "biomass burning is a moderate source of emissions, driven by the expansion of land for pasture and crops". Much of the Amazon rainforest is burned to make way for livestock farming, but the practice is also used as a low-cost, low-effort way to remove crop residue and enrich soil before a new harvest.
The problem with this (other than the air pollution) is that burning the landscape leaves the land more vulnerable to new weeds, erosion, and depending on the terrain flooding or landslides.
Rice Cultivation (flooded fields)
~7-10%
Rice has long been cultivated in flooded fields as a form of pest control. This unfortunately wastes a lot of water, leaves crops vulnerable to drought, and produces a massive amount of emissions.
Rice produces significantly less methane per unit than meat or dairy, but since it is a staple of diets around the world, it is important for farmers to turn to rice strains that do not require flooded fields to grow. In India, such diverse rice strains have helped alleviate hunger even during droughts and floods.
Fossil Fuels
"Oil and gas accounts for an estimated 20 to 25 percent of anthropogenic methane. [This article] suggests that the sector could achieve a 40 percent reduction in sectoral emissions by 2030 and a 73 percent reduction by 2050. The oil and gas industry emits “fugitive methane” through venting, leaks, and incomplete combustion during flaring." - McKinsey Sustainability
Coal Mining
~10-15%
"Coal mining produces an estimated 10 to 15 percent of anthropogenic methane. ... the sector has the potential to achieve a 2 percent reduction in its methane emissions by 2030 and a 13 percent reduction by 2050. The vast majority of coal-mine-methane (CMM) emissions emanate from either working or abandoned deep mines. There is a significant challenge in measuring and recovering these emissions. However, established technologies can capture CMM and use it to generate power. The investment case is probably strongest for companies in China, which account for about 70 percent of CMM emissions and which have invested in coal gasification for the industrial sector." - McKinsey Sustainability
Gas
~10-15%
"Since methane is the primary constituent of natural gas, these emissions are an untapped source of value, contingent on the necessary infrastructure being put in place. Moreover, there are numerous options to prevent losses in upstream production, including LDAR, equipment electrification or replacement, instrument air systems, and vapor-recovery units." - McKinsey Sustainability
Oil
~10%
Click the Energy button to see how different types of energy production compare in efficiency and safety. We've also listed some new types of energy production, not usually brought up in the energy shift discussion.
Click the Green My Energy button to learn more about energy alternative, including utility companies, installers, and charging stations near you.
Waste
Waste Water
~7-10%
"The wastewater sector now emits an estimated 7 to 10 percent of anthropogenic methane. These emissions could be reduced 27 percent by 2030 and 77 percent by 2050. Wastewater emits methane from the breakdown of organic material in wastewater streams. The primary method of reducing emissions would be to build out modern sanitation infrastructure and technology. However, capital costs and policy requirements would be a significant burden in many countries. Where there is funding and access to technology, alternative abatement approaches could include the use of covered lagoons or the application of microalgae to prevent gas formation. Biosolids responsible for producing methane could be collected and sold as fertilizer or bioenergy." - McKinsey Sustainability
Click the Toilets button to learn more about toilet options including compost toilets, and many more.
Solid Waste
~7-10%
"Accounting for an estimated 7 to 10 percent of anthropogenic methane, the solid-waste sector could achieve a 39 percent reduction in sectoral emissions by 2030 and a 91 percent reduction by 2050. The majority of methane emissions from waste originates in landfills and open dumps, where anaerobic organic material generates methane over time. Through biogas markets and other incentives, authorities could capture these emissions and either sell the methane as renewable natural gas or use it in the production of fertilizer. However, revenues may not be sufficient to offset the costs." - McKinsey Sustainability
Click the Zero Waste button to learn more about reducing our waste, including zero-waste shops, repair places, different types of libraries, zero-waste and circular economy organizations. These zero waste and related pages offer maps, grant information, and more.
Other
Industry
Vehicle Transport Emissions
Solutions
Eat and produce less meat
Cap orphaned oil wells - Fixing JUST the worst leaks in the Permian Basin would cut 55 tons an hour! Turkmenistan and other super emitting countries need to focus on plugging leaks as a cheap, but highly effective solution to fighting climate change.
Switch to renewable energy and shut down fossil fuel production.
Properly service and maintain fossil fuel drilling equipment that is still in use.
Eat and produce less animal products like eggs and dairy.
Reduce and alter rice production to avoid flooding fields with water.
Reducing Industrial Methane
Key Solutions By Location
While the same solutions can be useful pretty much anywhere, we can look at specific industries and causes of methane to asses which actions will have the greatest impact in those locations. The following suggestions are intended to help demystify which actions each region should focus on first to make the biggest dent in methane emissions.
Asia
China
"...bottom-up inventory data suggested China’s coal mine methane capturing regulations led to emissions falling 37% in the 10 years to 2019, whereas satellite data suggested they’d had no significant impact." - Reuters
Turkmenistan
Oil & Gas Industry
Europe
Reduce Livestock Farming "Europe's biggest source of methane emissions comes from agriculture, predominantly digestion in grazing animals and from livestock manure." - Reuters
North America
Canada
"... recently, the Canadian government reported a 34% decrease in methane emissions from the oil and gas industry, compared with 2012. However, an independent audit found that large sources of emissions were unaccounted for and not covered by existing regulations." - Reuters
USA
Oil & Gas Sector Plug fossil fuel industry infrastructure. This includes abandoned wells and leaking infrastructure such as pipelines.
California
Landfills Cover landfills and reduce waste going into these..
Dairy Operations Eliminate livestock subsidies which prop up the dairy industry. Implement methane-capture equipment on dairy and other livestock farms.
Oil & Gas Sector Plug fossil fuel industry infrastructure. This includes abandoned wells and leaking infrastructure such as pipelines.
"The largest methane emitters in California are a subset of landfills, which exhibit persistent anomalous activity. Methane point-source emissions in California are dominated by landfills (41 per cent), followed by dairies (26 per cent) and the oil and gas sector (26 per cent)." - Nature
Texas
Oil & Gas Sector Plug fossil fuel industry infrastructure. This includes abandoned wells and leaking infrastructure such as pipelines. Legal crackdowns should be used against the state's biggest emitters.
Cattle Remove livestock and dairy subsidies. Texas cattle and dairy operations produce more emissions than any of the US's oil and gas basins, other than the Permian.
"While Texas officials argue the methane regulations would kill jobs, the report, published today by the Texas Climate Jobs Project and the Ray Marshall Center at the University of Texas, Austin, found that new federal methane regulations could create between 19,000 and 35,000 jobs in the state.
Oil and gas producing regions, including the Permian Basin, would need a significant workforce to detect methane leaks, replace components known to leak the gas and plug abandoned wells. Previous research shows the methane mitigation industry is already growing." - https://insideclimatenews.org/news/17052023/texas-methane-epa-regulations-jobs/
South America
Argentina
Landfills "In Buenos Aires alone, landfill accounted for half of urban emissions. To give an idea of the scale, that one Argentine landfill emits about 10% of the methane emitted by the largest oil-producing region (the Permian basin) in the U.S." - Reuters
Venezuela
Oil & Gas Sector Plug fossil fuel industry infrastructure. This includes abandoned wells and leaking infrastructure such as pipelines.
Tools & Guides
Global Methane Budget an interactive infographic. Scroll to bottom and click "Launch visualization" button.
Methane Flaring Toolkit "guides the user through the options and decisions enabling operators to meet and exceed existing regulatory requirements. The toolkit documents the different technologies that address methane measurement from flaring and supports them through each of the key questions they need to consider when assessing methane from flaring. These include how to measure flare volumes and compositions accurately, identifying when a flare has a problem, and the various tools and techniques available for measuring combustion and destruction efficiency. Filters allow operators to short-list those technologies pertinent to their individual circumstances. Case studies, drawn from industry and academia showcase how technologies have been used and the impact that they can deliver."
Wellbore Plugging and Abandonment Practices (PDF) "This document provides guidance for the design, placement, and verification of cement plugs in wells that are to be temporarily or permanently abandoned. Wells that are temporarily abandoned have intent to re-enter in the future. The placement of barriers vary depending on whether the well is to be temporarily or permanently abandoned. The information in this document is general in nature. Wellbore plugging and abandonment practices will vary with regulation, well type, and purpose. Sound engineering and operational practices should be applied to each plugging operation. Plug lengths are not considered in this document. Local regulations must be considered in the design as they may dictate the length of cement to be placed below or above specific intervals, or both."
North America
USA
California
Well Finder "The Geologic Energy Management Division's (CalGEM) online mapping application Well Finder presents California’s oil and gas industry information from the geographic perspective. You can find and locate oil and gas wells and other types of related facilities throughout the state."
Pennsylvania
Texas
Eliminating Orphan Wells and Sites in Texas (PDF) "A Toolkit for Redesigning the Railroad Commission’s Oil and Gas Well Plugging and Cleanup Programs."
Maps
International
Pollution Emitters
Mapping Methane Emissions from Fossil Fuel Exploitation "Scientists map 97 million metric tons of methane emissions from the exploitation of oil, natural gas, and coal."
VISIONS: The EMIT Open Data Portal "This portal shows high-confidence research grade methane plume complexes from point source emitters - updated as they are identified - in keeping with our Open Science and Open Data policy. These results will enable user groups and the public to access the information quickly and utilize the data. This mapping effort is a prototype component of the NASA Earth Science contribution to a U.S. Government Greenhouse Gas (GHG) information system."
Public Opinions
More People Care About Climate Change than You Think "The majority of people in every country support action on climate, but the public consistently underestimates this share."
North America
Canada
Alberta
Orphaned Wells Map (Interactive) Click the small image of the map, to access the interactive map.
British Columbia
BCER: Map of Orphan Sites (interactive)
USA
Orphan Well Map "This is a map of more than 120,000 documented orphan wells that are eligible for closure funding under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2021. These wells, which have no solvent owner of record, can leak oil, gas and other toxic chemicals into our air and water. Plugging these wells will protect our environment, climate and communities while creating well-paying, stable jobs."
California
Methane Source Finder this interactive map indicates which methane plumes are from agriculture, energy production, or waste sites.
Well Finder "The Geologic Energy Management Division's (CalGEM) online mapping application Well Finder presents California’s oil and gas industry information from the geographic perspective. You can find and locate oil and gas wells and other types of related facilities throughout the state."
Pennsylvania
New Mexico
The Permian Methane Analysis Project (PermianMAP) "combined established data collection methods with state-of-the-art technologies to pinpoint, measure and report on oil and gas methane emissions in the Permian Basin."
New York
Mapping Orphan Wells in New York (PDF) "New map shows the location of all 7,042 currently documented orphan wells in the state. Pending federal legislation will invest nearly $5 billion to plug and clean up these and the more than 81,000 other documented orphan wells across the country."
Texas
Mapping Orphan Wells in Texas "Orphan Wells Are Threatening Texas Communities New map shows the location of all 6,489 currently documented orphan wells in the state. Pending federal legislation will invest nearly $5 billion to plug and clean up these and the more than 81,000 other documented orphan wells across the country."
The Permian Methane Analysis Project (PermianMAP) "combined established data collection methods with state-of-the-art technologies to pinpoint, measure and report on oil and gas methane emissions in the Permian Basin."
Resources
International
DeSmog’s Agribusiness Database "find a record of companies and organisations’ current messaging on climate change, lobbying around climate action, and histories of climate science denial."
DeSmog’s Climate Disinformation Database "browse our extensive research on the individuals and organizations that have helped to delay and distract the public and our elected leaders from taking needed action to reduce greenhouse gas pollution and fight global warming."
Europe
UK
DeSmog’s Air Pollution Lobbying Database "find out about organisations opposing or seeking to weaken planned air quality measures in the UK’s most polluted cities, including Clean Air Zones and London’s Ultra Low Emission Zone."
North America
USA
DeSmog’s Koch Network Database "browse our extensive research on the individuals and organizations linked to Charles Koch or other members of the Koch family, Koch Industries, and related entities."
Organizations & Programs
The following are currently working to reduce methane emissions.
International
DeSmog "was founded in January 2006 to clear the PR pollution that is clouding the science and solutions to climate change. Our team quickly became the world’s number one source for accurate, fact-based information regarding global warming misinformation campaigns.
DeSmog continues to expand our focus to other areas where misinformation has eroded public understanding and political action to address critical societal challenges, such as meeting the world’s energy needs, confronting environmental racism, and ensuring a just transition to a sustainable economic paradigm.
Through hard-hitting investigative journalism, in-depth research, and collaborations with other investigative outlets, DeSmog works tirelessly to provide climate accountability and serve as an antidote to science denial and disinformation. Supported by science and dedicated to equity, our team is helping to clear the way for clean energy solutions, environmental justice, and the preservation of democracy.
Now a global organization, with reporters and researchers spanning North and South America, the UK, Europe, Africa, and beyond, the DeSmog team works to expose corporate misinformation from major fossil fuel interests, including the likes of ExxonMobil, Koch Industries, and others with a documented history of undermining climate science and action. We conduct original research and reporting on a range of issues in the broader energy policy dialogue. In many cases, we find the same tactics, and many of the same people, that DeSmog first began exposing in our early research into the climate denial industry, are now sitting alongside a new breed of lobbyist, downplaying potential solutions to climate change, and promoting questionable “silver-bullet” solutions.
Our research databases provide vital information on over 800 organizations and individuals responsible for spreading misinformation on a range of energy and science topics. We first started reporting on Koch Industries’ funding of climate denial in 2007, and continue to track Koch-linked groups and operatives in our Koch Network Database. In 2020, we added two new databases — the Air Pollution Lobbying Database and Agribusiness Database — showing how vested interests are working to slow action across multiple sectors."Global Gas Flaring Reduction Partnership (GGFR) "Flaring is a direct source of methane emissions as flares do not completely combust all the hydrocarbons in the gas they burn (View our flaring explained guide). However, how much flaring contributes to methane emissions is poorly understood."
North America
Canada
The Orphan Well Association "is an industry-funded collaboration among the Alberta Government, provincial regulators and oil and gas producers to work toward a common goal: protecting public safety and managing the environmental risks of oil and gas properties that do not have a legally or financially responsible party that can be held accountable. These properties are known as “orphans.” The mandate of the OWA is to safely and efficiently decommission orphan oil and gas wells, pipelines, production facilities and restore the land as close to its original state as possible."
Alberta
Alberta Energy Regulator: Orphan Energy Sites "Wells, pipelines, and facilities are plugged and decommissioned (“abandoned”) when companies decide to stop using them for oil and gas development. In Alberta, companies are responsible for cleaning up their sites when the sites have reached the end of their productive life and returning the land to a natural state (known as “reclamation”). Doing this job properly is often costly.
If a company goes bankrupt before properly decommissioning its wells, facilities, or pipelines, and reclaiming the associated sites, we take action. We will order anyone who owned a part of the site—known as a “working interest participant”—to carry out this work to properly close the project."
British Columbia
Orphan Site Reclamation Fund (OSRF) after designating an orphan well the OSFR can be used "to decommission and clean up the site. This provides assurance the site will be restored in accordance with current standards and requirements, and all known contamination risks or hazards have been addressed."
Ontario
Abandoned Works Program "How to get an abandoned oil or gas well on your property safely plugged."
USA
BLM is leading the Federal Orphaned Well Program "to remediate orphaned wells on Federal Lands. This multi-agency effort includes DOI Land Management Agencies, the U.S. Forest Service (USDA), the U.S. Department of Energy, the Environmental Protection Agency, and the Interstate Oil & Gas Commission Compact. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law’s (BIL) historic investments will help revitalize local economies and support jobs, while addressing environmental impacts from legacy developments.
The Clean Energy States Alliance "is a national, nonprofit coalition of public agencies and organizations working together to advance clean energy.
CESA works with state leaders, federal agencies, industry representatives, and other stakeholders to develop clean energy programs and inclusive renewable energy markets. CESA members—mostly state agencies—include many of the most innovative, successful, and influential public funders of clean energy initiatives in the country."Indian Affairs: Orphaned Wells on Tribal Lands "The Indian Energy Service Center coordinates funding and program activities for Tribal orphaned wells that are provided by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act."
California
California Department of Conservation: Idle Well Program "In California, an idle well is a well that has not been used for two years or more and has not yet been properly plugged and abandoned (sealed and closed). Plugging and abandonment involves permanently sealing the well with a cement plug to isolate the hydrocarbon-bearing formation from water sources and prevent leakage to the surface. If a well is not properly sealed and closed, it may provide a pathway for hydrocarbons or other contaminants to migrate into drinking water or to the surface. Improved reporting shows there are approximately 35,000 wells in California categorized as idle."
CalGEM Oil and Gas Well Plug and Abandonment Public Works Contracts
Kansas
The BLM New Mexico encompasses New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas, and Kansas with one of the largest oil and gas programs in the Bureau. Employees oversee and manage over 45 million acres of Federal oil, natural gas, and minerals, plus 2 million acres of Native American mineral estate. This area includes the San Juan Basin and Permian Basin, two of the most productive basins in the United States. With one of largest oil and gas programs in the Bureau, BLM New Mexico recognizes its responsibility to monitor, plug, and reclaim abandoned oil and gas wells. The BLM New Mexico strives to conduct timely reclamation that leaves the disturbed site re-contoured and re-vegetated, and will continue to monitor reclamation until the disturbed surface is determined to be successfully reclaimed."
Michigan
Michigan Orphan Well Program "If you are a landowner, there is no cost to you for the resulting plugging and site restoration. The Orphan Well Fund is supported solely by industry."
New Mexico
The BLM New Mexico encompasses New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas, and Kansas with one of the largest oil and gas programs in the Bureau. Employees oversee and manage over 45 million acres of Federal oil, natural gas, and minerals, plus 2 million acres of Native American mineral estate. This area includes the San Juan Basin and Permian Basin, two of the most productive basins in the United States. With one of largest oil and gas programs in the Bureau, BLM New Mexico recognizes its responsibility to monitor, plug, and reclaim abandoned oil and gas wells. The BLM New Mexico strives to conduct timely reclamation that leaves the disturbed site re-contoured and re-vegetated, and will continue to monitor reclamation until the disturbed surface is determined to be successfully reclaimed."
New York
The New York Works Well Plugging Initiative (NYWWPI) "began in mid-2013, following approval of the state's budget for the 2013-2014 fiscal year. The initial allocation of $2M for well plugging was established as part of a $40M DEC-wide funding of infrastructure improvements (NYW Infrastructure 2 Fund). These funds created a significant opportunity to address the state's unplugged orphaned and abandoned oil and gas wells, most of which were drilled prior to the existence of the state's oil and gas regulatory program. Additional NYWWPI funding has been provided to the DEC through subsequent state budgetary allocations. The DEC has successfully completed 25 plugging projects totaling 366 wells under the NYWWPI."
North Dakota
North Dakota Mineral Resources: Oil & Gas Division: Well Plugging "North Dakota has 11,224 plugged wells. These were plugged either due to age, economics, maintenance, environmental and safety risks, or many other factors."
Ohio
The Orphan Well Program "was established in 1977 to plug abandoned oil and natural gas wells. Ohio’s program is recognized as one of the most well-funded and organized in the nation." Use the links on this page to report orphan wells or request a well plugging on your land.
Oklahoma
The BLM New Mexico encompasses New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas, and Kansas with one of the largest oil and gas programs in the Bureau. Employees oversee and manage over 45 million acres of Federal oil, natural gas, and minerals, plus 2 million acres of Native American mineral estate. This area includes the San Juan Basin and Permian Basin, two of the most productive basins in the United States. With one of largest oil and gas programs in the Bureau, BLM New Mexico recognizes its responsibility to monitor, plug, and reclaim abandoned oil and gas wells. The BLM New Mexico strives to conduct timely reclamation that leaves the disturbed site re-contoured and re-vegetated, and will continue to monitor reclamation until the disturbed surface is determined to be successfully reclaimed."
Pennsylvania
DEP’s Well Plugging Program "was established to plug oil and gas wells where there is no identifiable responsible party. Since the Well Plugging Program began, DEP has documented over 25,000 abandoned wells and plugged more than 3,000 wells. Plugging priority is determined through site investigations that assign a numeric score based on the abandoned well’s risk. Risks associated with abandoned wells that are considered in the prioritization process include oil leakage into water resources, health and safety issues like methane migrating into homes and private water wells, and fugitive methane emissions being released into the atmosphere. Higher risk wells are plugged before lower risk wells." Department of Environmental Protection: Contacts and Directions Oil and Gas Office Locations
Orphan or Abandoned Well Plugging Program (OAWP) "Act 13 of 2012 establishes the Marcellus Legacy Fund and allocates funds to the Commonwealth Financing Authority for funding orphan or abandoned well plugging projects using the Orphan or Abandoned Well Plugging Program (OAWP). Pennsylvania has hundreds of thousands of oil and gas wells drilled since 1859. This program provides a mechanism to plug abandoned and orphaned wells that have the potential to cause health, safety or environmental concerns."
Texas
The BLM New Mexico encompasses New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas, and Kansas with one of the largest oil and gas programs in the Bureau. Employees oversee and manage over 45 million acres of Federal oil, natural gas, and minerals, plus 2 million acres of Native American mineral estate. This area includes the San Juan Basin and Permian Basin, two of the most productive basins in the United States. With one of largest oil and gas programs in the Bureau, BLM New Mexico recognizes its responsibility to monitor, plug, and reclaim abandoned oil and gas wells. The BLM New Mexico strives to conduct timely reclamation that leaves the disturbed site re-contoured and re-vegetated, and will continue to monitor reclamation until the disturbed surface is determined to be successfully reclaimed."
Commission Shift "a watchdog group pushing for reforms to the Texas oil and gas industry oversight."
RRC: State Managed Well Plugging "Although most oil and gas wells that are no longer productive are plugged by the responsible operators, the Railroad Commission administers a program to plug abandoned oil and gas wells."
Grants
International
Open Philanthropy "Open Philanthropy’s mission is to give as effectively as we can and share our findings openly so that anyone can build on our work."
North America
USA
The Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund "The President’s Inflation Reduction Act created a first-of-its-kind, national-scale program: the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund—a $27 billion investment to mobilize financing and private capital to address the climate crisis, ensure our country’s economic competitiveness, and promote energy independence while delivering lower energy costs and economic revitalization to communities that have historically been left behind."
The Climate Pollution Reduction Grants (CPRG) Program "provides $5 billion in grants to states, local governments, tribes, and territories to develop and implement ambitious plans for reducing greenhouse gas emissions and other harmful air pollution. Authorized under Section 60114 of the Inflation Reduction Act, this two-phase program provides $250 million for noncompetitive planning grants, and approximately $4.6 billion for competitive implementation grants."
California
California Air Districts "California's 35 local Air Districts are responsible for regional air quality planning, monitoring, and stationary source and facility permitting. The districts administer air quality improvement grant programs and are CARB's primary partners in efforts to ensure that all Californians breathe clean air."
California Air Resources Board: Funding for Clean School Buses