The Nord Stream pipeline leak might be the single largest release of methane, a powerful greenhouse gas. Experts say it pales in comparison to ongoing methane emissions from the oil and gas industry:
"There are contradicting estimates, but all of them point to something really, really huge," says Binietoglou.Scientists say reducing methane emissions is a critical part of tackling climate change in the short term, because the gas has such a strong warming effect when in the atmosphere. Major leaks make that work harder, but are not the main culprit.
"It is important to put it in context of a larger problem that we have, that we need to fix," says Manfredi Caltagirone, head of the International Methane Emissions Observatory with the United Nations Environment Programme. In 2021, the energy sector emitted around 135 million metric tons of methane, most from oil and gas production, according to estimates by theThat means even though the Nord Stream leak is likely the single biggest emission event, it's only equivalent to a day or two of regular methane emissions from the fossil fuel industry, Caltagirone says.
Adds Binietoglou:"This doesn't mean that the leak is small. It means that oil and gas is really leaky, and really emitting a lot of gas." Research into the size and damage caused by the leaks is ongoing. On Monday, the Swedish government sent a dive team to the site of the leaks,Binietoglou says the global scientific community has invested in more technology to detect emissions, and he's hopeful these tools will be applied not just to major international incidents, but also to target smaller leaks and bring overall methane emissions down.
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