"The super-polluting plumes from oil and gas facilities have a colossal heating impact on the climate but often result from poor maintenance and can be simple to fix. The assessment found dozens of mega-leaks, each having the same global heating impact as a coal-fired power station."
"Stopping the leaks can even be free, given that captured gas can be sold methane is the natural gas that fires power stations. The mega-leaks occur across the world, but the top 25 list, produced by the Stop Methane Project at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), is dominated by facilities in Turkmenistan."
"Methane emissions cause 25% of global heating today, and there has been a scary surge since 2007, according to scientists. They have warned that this acceleration seriously risks triggering catastrophic climate tipping points. However, cutting methane emissions has a rapid impact, because the gas is naturally removed from the atmosphere far quicker than carbon dioxide."
Satellite data analysis identified numerous mega-methane leaks in 2025, each with climate impact equivalent to a coal-fired power station. Turkmenistan dominates the top 25 list, though significant leaks also occur in the US, Venezuela, and Iran from oil and gas facilities. Additional super-polluting plumes emerge from poorly managed landfills across Turkey, Algeria, Malaysia, and the US. Most leaks result from inadequate maintenance and are easily fixable. Methane currently causes 25% of global heating, with emissions surging since 2007 and risking catastrophic climate tipping points. Reducing methane emissions produces rapid climate benefits since the gas dissipates from the atmosphere faster than carbon dioxide, making methane reduction a critical climate priority.
#methane-emissions #climate-change #satellite-monitoring #oil-and-gas-industry #environmental-policy
Read at www.theguardian.com
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