Ceres and the Clean Air Task Force environmental groups have recently issued a report revealing that the top sources of greenhouse gas and methane emissions are four energy companies: Exxon Mobil, ConocoPhillips, Hilcorp, and Occidental Petroleum.
The Hill published that “the report, based on data submitted to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) from major oil and gas producers, found wide variation in emissions among companies, with the highest-emitting companies producing methane emissions nearly 24 times more intense than those with the lowest emissions.”
According to the report, the number one source of emissions was Hilcorp, second in place was Exxon, while Occidental Petroleum and ConocoPhillips ranked third and fourth.
The study discovered that a significant factor that affects the intensity of the emissions is the operation of the equipment. The Hill explains that, for instance, companies who used techniques such as flaring (they burn off the extra natural gas) release more carbon dioxide, while the ones that made use of pneumatic controllers (which adjust pressure and temperature but release natural gas during the process) released more methane (approximately 62% methane emissions).
Methane has been a hot topic in the recent years due to its extremely harmful effects on the environment, contributing to global warming with at least 0.5 degrees Celsius until now. However, because it does not last long in the atmosphere, experts in climate conditions found that methane reduction would be one of the easiest ways to decrease emissions and slow down global warming.
Clean Air Task Force senior analyst, Lesley Feldman, stated that the newly published report clearly underlines the measures that have to be taken by oil and gas producers in order to reduce methane and greenhouse gas emissions. While some of these producers understood the threat to our planet’s future and began implementing some of these measures, other major ones have still not adhered to such a policy, reason for which the involvement of official state authorities and clear regulations in this field are necessary.