Methane emissions in the United States continue to decline according to updated data released this week in the Environmental Protection Agency’s final 2020 Greenhouse Gas Inventory.
The GHGI data show U.S. methane emissions were 18 percent lower than in 1990 and 10 percent below 2005 levels.
Importantly, energy-industry efforts to curb emissions have helped bring combined methane emissions from petroleum and natural gas systems down 23.2 percent from their 1990 levels.
This is an astonishing decrease considering the United States has seen the real gross domestic product and crude oil production nearly double, and natural gas production increase 73 percent in the same span of time.
Methane emissions from natural gas declined nearly 24 percent since 1990, according to EPA:
“Natural gas systems CH4 emissions decreased by 43.4 MMT CO2 Eq. (23.7 percent) since 1990, largely due to a decrease in emissions from distribution, transmission and storage, processing, and exploration.”
Additionally, revisions made in the 2020 GHGI resulted in a 25 percent reduction in these emissions from previous years and a lower methane leakage rate for natural gas production.
U.S. Greenhouse Gases Continue Downward Trend
Looking beyond methane, since 2005 – the starting date for Paris Agreement reductions – the United States has seen total greenhouse gases fall 10 percent at the same time that oil and gas production and consumption have increased.
Natural Gas Reduces Power Sector Emissions
The domestic supply of natural gas has helped decarbonize electric power generation within the United States.
Natural gas power generation tripled from 11 percent in 1990 to 34 percent in 2018, helping electricity generation’s CO2 emissions fall 4 percent over the same period. According to EPA:
“The decrease in coal-powered electricity generation and increase in natural gas and renewable electricity generation have contributed to a 27 percent decrease in overall CO2 emissions from electric power generation from 2005 to 2018.”
The Short to Mid Term
The oil and natural gas industry continue to focus on improving technology and infrastructure to further reduce these emissions.
For instance, ExxonMobil is testing its “next-generation” methane technology at nearly 1,000 sites in the Permian Basin to lower emissions.
And voluntary efforts like those by the Environmental Partnership are seeing significant results in identifying and fixing leaks.
All of these efforts, coupled with the increased use of natural gas, have helped the United States reduce emissions – a trend that continued through 2019 and has already been a major focus for the oil and natural gas industry in 2020.
As International Energy Agency explained:
“The United States saw the largest decline in energy-related CO2 emissions in 2019 on a country basis …U.S. emissions are now down almost 1 Gt from their peak in the year 2000, the largest absolute decline by any country over that period.”
Let’s see if 2020 can top that.
Read more at EID Climate
Our Methane and Natural Gas Emissions are falling and its under a GOP president Eat that Eco-Freaks along with your Veggie Burgers