Shell oil rig

Major oil and gas companies join program to cut methane emissions

62 oil and gas companies from around the world signed on to a UN-led partnership aimed at bolstering monitoring and reductions of the potent climate-warming gas.

Dozens of the top oil and gas companies in the world—including Shell, BP and Total—agreed this week to better track and reduce their methane emissions.


The initiative—called the Oil and Gas Methane Partnership and led by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the European Commission and Environmental Defense Fund—was launched in 2014 as a voluntary effort to reduce methane emissions from oil and gas. This week that partnership was updated—now the 62 participating companies will look beyond their own methane emissions and include any joint venture emissions, as well as emissions from transportation and downstream refining that companies could have potentially left out of reporting.

"Our aim is to bring companies to report their emissions from all assets at an unprecedented level of accuracy and granularity," Manfredi Caltagirone, a UNEP program management officer, told EHN, "because you cannot manage what you do not measure."

Across the globe, about 596 million tons of methane are emitted a year, according to the Global Carbon Project, which tracks greenhouse gas emissions. There are natural methane emissions from sources such as wetlands, lakes, volcanoes and permafrost, but about 60 percent comes from human activities. While agriculture is the top human-caused source of methane, fossil fuels is second.

In reducing oil and gas methane—which is 80 times more potent than carbon dioxide over a 20-year period as a greenhouse gas—the program's goal is to reduce the oil and gas industry's methane emissions by 45 percent by 2025, and by 60 to 75 percent by 2030.

Reductions would also have more immediate positive impacts, as methane is also a precursor to harmful ozone levels.

"Reducing methane emissions is a crucial effort in the industry's decarbonization pathway. As a factor on which we can have an immediate and concrete positive impact, [the update framework] offers an internationally recognized blueprint to companies across our industry willing to make improvements in their emission reductions in all phases of the value chain," said Claudio Descalzi, Chief Executive Officer of the energy company ENI, in a statement.

Collaborative programs are key to solving these climate issues, Tiy Chung, a communications officer at UNEP, told EHN. The oil and gas industry can be quite fragmented, which "makes it harder for large companies and agencies to enforce policies and regulations down the line." But through partnership, hopefully these obstacles can be surmounted.

Proponents of the program say cutting methane emissions is a low-hanging fruit in the global fight against climate change. The International Energy Agency estimates about three-quarters of existing methane emissions could be reduced with existing technology—and if the energy industry could reach a 90 percent reduction in emissions, it would reduce the estimated increase in Earth's temperature by 2050 by 2 degrees Celsius.

The issue of methane emissions is not necessarily an issue of innovation or technology, said Caltagirone. Rather, this is an issue of willingness and momentum. And it's an initiative that makes sense for everyone: "It creates jobs and it creates action on climate. So it's both good for the climate and it provides revenues."

The updated framework is designed to allow governments, investors, and the public to better track companies' methane emissions. While the program is voluntary, the European Union has signaled it plans to hold companies to a similar standard on measurement, reporting and reduction with new legislation.

"Thanks to the 62 companies for committing to measure, report and reduce pollution from their core operations and joint ventures. This will be the basis for robust standards in Europe, and beyond, that ensure the oil industry takes the practical actions urgently needed for our climate," said Fred Krupp, president of Environmental Defense Fund, in a statement.

Banner photo: Shell Oil drilling platform (Credit: Thomas Doyle/flickr)

A house is loaded onto a truck at a dock next to a body of water.

How a First Nation’s housing project could spark a home-rescue revolution

A small First Nation in British Columbia is showing how salvaged homes can become sustainable housing — and a blueprint for greener development.

David Beers and Quinn Kelly report for The Tyee.

Keep reading...Show less
Rows of solar panels in a large parking lot with a sign in the foreground displaying a General Motors logo.

Michigan reimagines its toxic land as a solar-powered future

Michigan wants to clean up its polluted past by turning contaminated industrial sites into a new solar-powered frontier.

Douglas J. Guth reports for Inside Climate News.

Keep reading...Show less
Beige mushrooms grow alongside moss on a wet fallen log.
Credit: Rob/Unsplash

Mushrooms are cleaning up wildfire ruins — and may revive toxic land across America

After the deadly Los Angeles wildfires turned homes into chemical-laced rubble, one scientist is using mushrooms and native plants to detoxify the land and rethink how to clean up after disaster.

Mattha Busby reports for Atmos.

Keep reading...Show less
A group of people at a demonstration holding signs in support of science.
Credit: Photo by Vlad Tchompalov/Unsplash

Trump’s EPA quietly backs off from enforcing pollution laws

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has dramatically scaled back enforcement against major polluters, raising fears about the future of public health protections.

Tom Perkins reports for Grist.

Keep reading...Show less
Red car with EV charger hooked up to it.

Trump administration sued by 17 states over frozen funds for electric vehicle charging network

Seventeen states have filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration for halting billions in federal funding intended to expand the national electric vehicle charging infrastructure.

Sophie Austin and Alexa St. John report for The Associated Press.

Keep reading...Show less
White microscopes on top of black table.

Zeldin’s EPA restructuring could curb climate action and strain environmental protections

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, under Administrator Lee Zeldin, is downsizing staff to 1980s levels despite decades of added environmental responsibilities and growing public health challenges.

Sean Reilly, Jean Chemnick, Ellie Borst, and Miranda Willson report for E&E News.

Keep reading...Show less
A space satellite hovering above the coastline.
Credit: SpaceX/Unsplash

Trump moves to end federal studies on rocket and satellite pollution, raising concerns over Musk’s influence

The Trump administration plans to shut down research led by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) into pollution from satellites and rockets that is tied in part to Elon Musk’s expanding space ventures.

Tom Perkins reports for The Guardian.

Keep reading...Show less
From our Newsroom
Multiple Houston-area oil and gas facilities that have violated pollution laws are seeking permit renewals

Multiple Houston-area oil and gas facilities that have violated pollution laws are seeking permit renewals

One facility has emitted cancer-causing chemicals into waterways at levels up to 520% higher than legal limits.

Regulators are underestimating health impacts from air pollution: Study

Regulators are underestimating health impacts from air pollution: Study

"The reality is, we are not exposed to one chemical at a time.”

Pennsylvania governor Josh Shapiro speaks with the state flag and American flag behind him.

Two years into his term, has Gov. Shapiro kept his promises to regulate Pennsylvania’s fracking industry?

A new report assesses the administration’s progress and makes new recommendations

silhouette of people holding hands by a lake at sunset

An open letter from EPA staff to the American public

“We cannot stand by and allow this to happen. We need to hold this administration accountable.”

wildfire retardants being sprayed by plane

New evidence links heavy metal pollution with wildfire retardants

“The chemical black box” that blankets wildfire-impacted areas is increasingly under scrutiny.

Stay informed: sign up for The Daily Climate newsletter
Top news on climate impacts, solutions, politics, drivers. Delivered to your inbox week days.