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Methane Leakages in Europe

November 3, 2021 @ 3:00 pm - 4:30 pm UTC+0

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Methane is the second biggest contributor to the climate crisis, responsible for about 0.5°C of human-caused global heating so far. One of the main emitters of the powerful greenhouse gas is the oil and gas sector, where methane can leak across the whole supply chain – during extraction, transport, storage and use. The extent to which such leakages occur is only vaguely known, with companies often reporting emissions only on the basis of calculations as opposed to actual measurements. Where measurements are being done, they often show higher emission rates than previously anticipated.

While there are already a handful of comprehensive studies on methane leakages from the U.S., such data is still lacking in most parts of the world. At the same time, there is an assumption that methane emissions from oil and gas infrastructure within Europe are comparably small, and that leakages are mainly an issue for non-EU countries. In order to examine this assumption, Clean Air Task Force has been undertaking observations of oil and gas infrastructure across Europe since the beginning of 2021, using an infrared camera to detect sources of methane pollution. The results published so far call into question the clean slate of the EU on the matter, showing significant emissions at gas infrastructure sites across several European countries.

This digital event, conducted within the framework of the methane pavilion organized by EDF, UNEP, CCAC, CATF and WRI as part of COP 26, will present and discuss the results of the methane campaign led by Clean Air Task Force (CATF) published in the course of 2021. Speakers and panelists will discuss the findings as well as possible ways to tackle the methane problem in Europe in order to fulfill the Paris Climate Agreement. A closer look will be taken at the German findings as the main gas hub of Europe.

Speakers:

Constantin Zerger
Head of Energy and Climate Protection Department, Deutsche Umwelthilfe;

James Turitto
Campaign Manager, Super Pollutants, Clean Air Task Force;

Brendan Devlin
Strategy and Foresight Counsellor in the Directorate General for Energy, European Commission;

Lisa Tostado
Heinrich Böll Foundation (moderator)

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