Staggering stat: The emissions counted in the study amount to a loss of about $1 billion in commercial gas value, and when incorporating climate change-related damage, about a $9.3 billion annual social cost, the study found.
Underestimating methane emissions is a big problem because it’s a powerful greenhouse gas that worsens climate change. Governments need to improve their methods for measuring and reporting these emissions to tackle the issue effectively.
A survey of about 1 million oil and gas production sites across the U.S. found that methane emissions are, on average, about three times higher than government estimates.
* The study used aerial surveys to detect methane emissions across oil and gas production sites across six regions of the U.S., from New Mexico to Pennsylvania.
* The study found the New Mexico section of the Permian Basin leaked the most methane, but that other areas had far lower emission rates.
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Staggering stat: The emissions counted in the study amount to a loss of about $1 billion in commercial gas value, and when incorporating climate change-related damage, about a $9.3 billion annual social cost, the study found.
Underestimating methane emissions is a big problem because it’s a powerful greenhouse gas that worsens climate change. Governments need to improve their methods for measuring and reporting these emissions to tackle the issue effectively.
A survey of about 1 million oil and gas production sites across the U.S. found that methane emissions are, on average, about three times higher than government estimates.
* The study used aerial surveys to detect methane emissions across oil and gas production sites across six regions of the U.S., from New Mexico to Pennsylvania.
* The study found the New Mexico section of the Permian Basin leaked the most methane, but that other areas had far lower emission rates.