As Carbon Recedes Due to Virus, Methane Will Likely Increase
With oil and gas companies putting off scheduled pipeline maintenance, early detection of leaks is more important than ever.
An employee uses an infrared camera to detect a gas leak at the Southern California Gas Company's Aliso Canyon storage facility near the Porter Ranch neighborhood of Los Angeles on Jan. 12, 2017.
Photographer: Jae C. Hong/AP Photo
The travel restrictions and economic unraveling triggered by the coronavirus have led to an unprecedented drop in carbon emissions worldwide. That may feel like a rare bit of silver lining—and yet climate advocates aren’t celebrating. Many are worried about an uptick in emissions of the lesser-known greenhouse gas: methane.
“Unlike carbon emissions, methane emissions don’t decrease when the world’s economy slows down,” says Poppy Kalesi, policy director for European oil and gas at the nonprofit Environmental Defense Fund. “With lower oil and gas prices, we already see efficiency savings in companies, which means that they might be more relaxed about their environmental protocols.”