The world may just be scratching the surface of the scale of climate-changing methane emissions.

The amount of powerful climate-changing methane gas pouring from oil and gas equipment, coal mines and landfills around the world is far from fully documented, and what is known is “only scratching the surface,” according to the CEO of one methane-tracking company. with your companions.

According to Stephane Germain of GHGSat, the problem of methane emissions is not getting better, but getting worse. “We found more emissions last year than ever before,” he said.

Since late 2023, GHGSat satellites have detected about 20,000 sites around the world that qualify as superemitters, or locations that emit 100 kilograms (220 pounds) of methane per hour.

This is a significant increase from last year, when the company identified about 15,000 sites with elevated emissions.

Germain said the figures were rounded to allow for discussion of emissions as countries made commitments to cut methane emissions at the 2023 global climate talks, known as COP28, in Dubai. He held a briefing ahead of the next round of COP29, which will open soon in Baku, Azerbaijan.

Last year, 50 oil companies accounting for nearly half of global production signed the pledge to almost completely eliminate methane emissions and stop routine gas flaring at its enterprises by 2030. In many countries, methane, or natural gas, is flared—wasted—rather than captured in pipelines and used to generate electricity or cook food. This is because operators are after the oil, not the gas that is in the reservoir with it.

Nearly half of the detected methane emissions come from the oil and gas industry, Germain said. About a third comes from “emissions from waste management,” with mining accounting for 16%.

GHGSat added three satellites within a year, but Germain doubts that explains the increase in detections. Rather, he said, “the developing countries of the world need energy, and energy, unfortunately, today still comes primarily from fossil fuels.”

According to him, the largest share of powerful gas is released from North America and Eurasia. In Canada, landfills account for the largest share of emissions.

Earlier this year study reported that America’s oil and gas wells, pipelines and compressors emit three times more heat-trapping methane than the government estimates.

Study published in September found that methane levels in the air are rising, making climate change much worse than if it were just carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases. Carbon dioxide, which is not as potent as methane but lasts much longer, remains the most significant pollutant humans add to the atmosphere.

Montreal-based GHGSat is one of many commercial and philanthropically funded non-profit satellite methane measurement and analysis projects that are simultaneously collaborating and competing to provide an increasingly clear picture of the global problem. Others include Carbon Mapper, Kayrros and MethanSAT.

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