The US has used the climate conference, which is administered by the UN and being held in Dubai, to unveil new regulations it estimates will cut methane emissions from its vast oil and gas industry by 80% from levels that would be expected without the rule, a total of 58 million tonnes by 2038.
Sharp cuts in methane emissions are among the most critical actions the United States can take in the short-term to slow the rate of climate change, said Michael Regan, administrator of the US Environmental Protection Agency, which has created the rule. Regan said the new regulations would cut the equivalent of 1.5 billion metric tonnes of carbon dioxide, which is nearly the amount of pollution emitted by the US's entire power sector, or 28 million fossil fuel-powered cars, over the next 15 years. The rule will require oil and gas companies to plug leaks from existing facilities, eliminate routine flaring of gas from wells and to better monitor escaping methane. The impact of this historic rule can't be overstated, Regan said. This is what global climate leadership looks like.
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