November 2022 – As part of global efforts to slow climate change by tackling methane, the UN is launching a new satellite-based system to detect emissions of the climate warming gas and allow governments and businesses to respond.
The Methane Alert and Response System (MARS) is a new initiative to scale up global efforts to detect and act on major emissions sources in a transparent manner and accelerate implementation of the Global Methane Pledge.
The Methane Alert and Response System (MARS), launched at the 27th United Nations Climate Change Conference, is a data-to-action platform set up as part of the UNEP International Methane Emissions Observatory (IMEO) strategy to get policy-relevant data into the right hands for emissions mitigation.
MARS will alert governments, companies and operators about large methane sources to foster rapid mitigation action of this potent gas.
“As UNEP’s Emissions Gap Report showed before this climate summit, the world is far off track on efforts to limit global warming to 1.5°C. Reducing methane emissions can make a big and rapid difference, as this gas leaves the atmosphere far quicker than carbon dioxide. The Methane Alert and Response System is a big step in helping governments and companies deliver on this important short-term climate goal.”
Inger Andersen, Executive Director of United Nations Environment Programme
Methane released by human activities is responsible for around 25% of anthropogenic climate change.
Methane is a powerful greenhouse gas, contributing at least a quarter of today’s climate warming. According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, we must cut methane emissions at least 30% by 2030 – the goal of the Global Methane Pledge – to keep the 1.5°C temperature limit within reach.
“We are seeing methane emissions increase at an accelerated rate. With this initiative, armed with greater data and transparency, companies and governments can make greater strides to reduce methane emissions and civil society can keep them accountable to their promises”
Dr. Kelly Levin, Chief of Science, Data and Systems Change at the Bezos Earth Fund.
Developed in the framework of the Global Methane Pledge Energy Pathway – with initial funding from the European Commission, the US Government, Global Methane Hub, and the Bezos Earth Fund – MARS will allow UNEP to corroborate emissions reported by companies and characterize changes over time. MARS will be implemented with partners including the International Energy Agency, and the UNEP-hosted Climate and Clean Air Coalition.
In addition to supporting MARS, the Global Methane Hub and the Bezos Earth Fund are providing funding for other UNEP IMEO activities. These include baseline studies and initial work on agricultural methane emissions, where integrating multi-scale ground measurements with emerging satellite capacity is expected to provide improved quantification.
First public global system connecting methane detection to notification processes
MARS will be the first publicly available global system capable of transparently connecting methane detection to notification processes. It will use state-of-the-art satellite data to identify major emission events, notify relevant stakeholders, and support and track mitigation progress.
Beginning with very large point sources from the energy sector, MARS will integrate data from the rapidly expanding system of methane-detecting satellites to include lower-emitting area sources and more frequent detection. Data on coal, waste, livestock and rice will be added gradually to MARS to support Global Methane Pledge implementation.
“Cutting methane is the fastest opportunity to reduce warming and keep 1.5°C within reach, and this new alert and response system is going to be a critical tool for helping all of us deliver on the Global Methane Pledge,” said John Kerry, U.S. Special Presidential Envoy for Climate.
Components of the Methane Alert and Response System
MARS will use data from global mapping satellites to identify very large methane plumes and methane hot spots and data from high-resolution satellites to then attribute the emissions to a specific source. UNEP will then notify governments and companies about the emissions, either directly or through partners, so that the responsible entity can take appropriate action.
If requested, MARS partners will provide technical or advisory services such as help in assessing mitigation opportunities. UNEP will continue to monitor the event location and make the data and analysis available to the public between 45 and 75 days after detection.
“The Methane Alert and Response System is an important new tool to help pinpoint major methane leaks. As IEA analysis has highlighted, transparency is a vital part of the solution to tackle the methane problem, and this new system will help producers detect leaks and stop them without delay if and when they occur.”
Fatih Birol, Executive Director of the International Energy Agency
“The science is clear. We need to reduce global methane emissions by at least 30 per cent by 2030, to keep 1.5°C alive. Fortunately, action on methane emissions are one of the most cost effective and impactful action a country can take,” said Marcelo Mena, CEO Global Methane Hub and continued “Therefore Global Methane Hub is pleased to partner with UNEP and the Bezos Earth Fund, on providing critical resources – to the MARS initiative – that can enable the identification and rapid response to major methane emissions from the energy sector, as well as take the first steps in enabling satellite observations to address methane emissions from the agricultural sector.”
“To keep the global temperature rise limited to 1.5 degrees, it is crucial that we tackle methane emissions. These emissions often peak in specific areas for limited amounts of time, for example in the energy sector due to leaks, venting, and flaring. Early detection of these peaks makes it possible to respond faster,” Frans Timmermans, Executive Vice President of the European Commission. “The Methane Alert and Response System does just that. Thanks to funding and free satellite data from Copernicus, the European Union’s Earth Observation programme, the system will enable every country to take rapid action to reduce methane emissions.”
November 4, 2022
Australian Oil and gas industry details actions on reducing methane emissions
Australia’s oil and gas industry has detailed in a new report some of the innovative ways companies are reducing methane emissions.
The Australian Petroleum Production & Exploration Association (APPEA) released Australia’s Cleaner Energy Future: Industry’s Actions on Reducing Methane Emissions.
The report includes a series of case studies outlining the various actions members are taking to monitor, reduce and report on their methane emissions, their involvement in initiatives and their work with leading science bodies and agencies.
The action detailed in the report includes Origin Energy’s ‘sniffer truck’ which has inspected wells across 31,000km of Queensland to detect and remedy very small leaks.
The vehicle’s extendable mast is sensitive enough to detect a cow at 50 metres, a gas well at 500 metres, and a gas plant over two kilometres away.
Fellow member Arrow Energy is using air-driven pneumatic control devices in CSG fields that reduce emissions by up to 700 tonnes CO2-e per year for each device.
ExxonMobil, meanwhile, has reduced flaring at its Gippsland operations by approximately 30% over the past two years by optimising the energy footprint of individual pieces of equipment.
APPEA Chief Executive Samantha McCulloch said: “It’s wonderful to see the innovative approaches and technologies being developed by the industry for the challenges the world faces.
“Our industry is committed to net zero greenhouse gas emissions economy-wide by 2050 and reducing methane emissions has been a priority of our industry for decades as members monitor, report and reduce their fugitive emissions profile, participating in several global initiatives.
“Highlighting this, several APPEA members have already committed directly to the Global Methane Pledge or have emissions reduction targets consistent with, or going beyond, the Pledge.
“Several members participate in global initiatives including signing on to the Methane Guiding Principles and methane emissions reduction investments through the Oil and Gas Climate Initiative (OGCI).
“We have worked with the Federal Government towards its recent decision to sign the Pledge, which was an important step on the road to a cleaner energy future.”
Ms McCulloch said methane emissions from the sector were very low compared to other industries in Australia and to oil and gas industries in other countries.
This is shown in a 2021 study, The Australian Natural Gas Industry: Monitoring, reporting, and reducing methane emissions (see page 34 graph).
Ms McCulloch said: “The largest sources of methane emissions in Australia are agriculture, coal, land use, and waste.
“However, the oil and gas industry continues to take action to measure, monitor and reduce its methane emissions as part of our commitment to the environment and reducing greenhouse gas emissions.”
Ms McCulloch noted the integrity of the national greenhouse accounts estimates, citing a 2019 CSIRO study which put upstream fugitive methane leakage rates at less than 0.5 per cent of production, in line with upstream leakage rates estimated from data in the national inventory of around 0.4 per cent.
“Methane leakage rates for the entire Australian gas production system—both upstream and downstream—is around 0.7 per cent, according to the Australian Government,” she said.
“Meanwhile, methane leakage rate of US gas production is around 1.2 per cent, highlighting the achievements of the Australian oil and gas industry is reducing their emissions.”
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Strategies to reduce emissions from fossil fuel operations
Fossil fuel operations account for more than one-third of human-caused methane emissions. These emissions represent one of the best near-term opportunities for climate action because the pathways for reducing them are known and understood. Achieving a 75% reduction in emissions from fossil fuel operations, as set out in the IEA’s Net Zero Emissions by 2050 Scenario would take the world most of the way towards fulfilling the Global Methane Pledge.
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