• Air

Methane Leaks Globally Rise Dramatically Despite COVID-Related Slowdowns

• coal
• greenhouse gas emission
• kayrros
• leaks
• methane
• methane gas
• oil and gas

In 2020, oil and gas use is down but methane leaks are up dramatically during the same time period according to a study by the energy data firm Kayrros, Reuters and The Washington Post reported.  Oil and gas companies had pledged to cut their greenhouse gas emissions.

Why This Matters: Methane is a highly damaging greenhouse gas in its first 20 years after being emitted — it’s 80 to 90 times more potent than carbon dioxide during that time period.

• Energy

A Methane Pandemic: Millions of Abandoned Wells Are Leaking into the Atmosphere

• fracking
• greenhouse gas emissions
• Joe Biden
• leaks
• methane
• oil and gas

As the candidates debate fracking, millions of abandoned natural gas wells are leaking literally tons of methane into the atmosphere, and there’s no fix in sight. There are an estimated 3.2 million abandoned oil and gas wells in the United States, and an estimated 29 million worldwide.

Why This Matters:  Methane leaks are dangerous — they have led to reports of tap water catching fire, toxic groundwater, and fatal explosions, all of which have been motivators for the federal government to track and seal these wells.

• People

Interview of the Week: Yotam Ariel, Bluefield Technologies

• Bluefield
• emissions
• greenhouse gas emission
• leaks
• methane gas
• microsatellite

Yotam Ariel is the CEO fo Bluefield Technologies, Inc., a startup using microsatellites to measure methane gas leaks and emissions. ODP:   How does your technology work? YA:  Sunlight that has passed through methane contains a unique spectral signal that can be detected by Bluefield’s proprietary optical sensor. We integrate our sensor into a backpack-size microsatellite […]