The Guardian he says that more than 1.000 "hyper-emission" sites are releasing the greenhouse gas methane into the global atmosphere by 2022, mostly from oil and gas facilities. The worst single spill spewed pollution to the equivalent of 67 million cars.
Separate data also reveals 55 “methane bombs” around the world – fossil fuel mining sites where gas leaks from future production alone would release levels of methane equivalent to 30 years of all US greenhouse gas emissions.
Methane emissions cause 25% of global warming today and there has been an "alarming" increase since 2007, according to scientists.
This acceleration may be the biggest threat to keeping global warming below 1,5 degrees Celsius and could cause catastrophic climate effects, researchers say.
The new data identifies the locations most critical to preventing methane-related disasters, as addressing leaks from fossil fuel sites is the fastest and cheapest way to reduce methane emissions. Some of the leaks are intentional, venting unwanted gas released during oil drilling into the air, and some are accidental, from poorly maintained or poorly regulated equipment.
Acting quickly will dramatically slow global warming. A 45% reduction in emissions by 2030, which the UN says is possible, would prevent a temperature rise of 0,3 degrees Celsius.
The locations of methane overshoots were identified by analyzing satellite data, with the US, Russia and Turkmenistan accounting for the biggest polluters from fossil fuel facilities.
The largest event was a spill of 427 tonnes per hour in August near the Caspian coast of Turkmenistan and a major pipeline. This single leak was equivalent to the rate of emissions from 67 million cars, or the hourly national emissions of France.
Future emissions of methane from fossil fuel sites – the methane bombs – are also predicted to be huge, threatening the entire global "carbon budget" required to keep warming below 1,5C.
More than half of these fields produce oil, and are located in North America.
Come on, and we who believed uncle GATES, and all the good guys of DAVOS with their 1500 private jets that each burn 1000 liters of fuel for every hour of flight with enormous consequences for the environment, that the environment is only polluted by cow farts, and why should we only eat synthetic meat produced only by Uncle GATES..