New findings from the Oil and Gas Methane Science Studies

Since 2017, OGCI has been supporting a series of independent scientific studies that measure methane emissions from different types of oil and gas facilities around the world.

Following peer review, five papers have now been published in a variety of scientific journals and more are expected soon.

Under the umbrella of the Climate and Clean Air Coalition, the aim of these studies is to produce independent scientific data on the methane emissions of the oil and gas sector. The data collected is intended to help companies and governments prioritize actions and policies to reduce methane emissions.

Until this programme was launched, most independent research on methane emissions from oil and gas had focused on US onshore facilities – but it was not clear whether these findings could be extrapolated more generally.

A dozen separate independent teams of scientists, coordinated by the Environmental Defense Fund, have used a variety of innovative quantification methods, to take a fresh look at quantifying sources of methane emissions from offshore facilities in the Gulf of Mexico and North Sea to gas distribution in cities.