Dr. Amy Townsend-Small: Methane emissions
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A recently-launched satellite, MethaneSAT, has begun to collect data that will pinpoint the locations where methane—an extremely powerful greenhouse gas, and the main ingredient of natural gas—is being emitted.
On Thursday, May 30, 2024, SciLine interviewed: Dr. Amy Townsend-Small, a professor of environmental science at the University of Cincinnati. See the footage and transcript from the interview below, or select ‘Contents’ on the left to skip to specific questions.
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Introduction
[0:00:19]
AMY TOWNSEND-SMALL: My name is Amy Townsend-Small. I’m a professor in the School of Environment and Sustainability at University of Cincinnati. And I study methane emissions from the oil and gas supply chain, but also from other sources such as cows, waste systems, wetlands, lakes, things like that.
Interview with SciLine
What is methane?
[0:00:47]
AMY TOWNSEND-SMALL: Methane is a greenhouse gas, which means it helps trap heat within the Earth’s atmosphere. And methane is very good at trapping this heat, so it’s more powerful than carbon dioxide. Carbon dioxide is a greenhouse gas that’s most commonly emitted by human activities. But methane is 86 times more powerful than carbon dioxide. And it’s most powerful right after it’s emitted. Because of this, what we call short-term global warming potential. A sudden increase in methane emissions can cause a rapid increase in global temperatures and climate conditions that would be difficult for people to adapt to.
Can you describe some of the most common sources of methane pollution?
[0:01:39]
AMY TOWNSEND-SMALL: One thing that makes methane such a fun greenhouse gas to study or interesting greenhouse gas to study is that it has a mix of several major sources from human activities as well as some natural sources that could be increasing due to human activities that are making the planet hotter and wetter. And this is very different than carbon dioxide, which only has one major human source from human activities, which is burning fossil fuels. So some of the biggest human sources of methane from human activities are cattle agriculture—that’s the biggest one in the United States. That’s because cows directly emit methane, mostly from burping. The second biggest source in the United States is oil and natural gas production and use. That’s because natural gas is mostly made up of methane. Landfills and wastewater treatment are a major source, and coal mining. Those are the four biggest anthropogenic or human-caused sources of methane emissions. Some of the natural sources that could be increasing due to climate change are wetlands, lakes, and permafrost soils.
What is natural gas used for?
[0:02:59]
AMY TOWNSEND-SMALL: Natural gas is a fossil fuel, just like oil and coal. And natural gas actually consists mostly of methane. It’s the fossil fuel that has the most diverse set of uses. Most people are probably familiar with natural gas stoves or hot water heaters that they might have in their home or a furnace in your house that heats the house. Or maybe you might have a natural gas fireplace, or you’ve seen one. Natural gas is also the number one source of electricity in the United States for power plants. And we use it to make plastics and other chemicals. The United States is actually the number one natural gas-producing country in the world. And most of our natural gas comes from the process known as fracking, which also produces oil.
How can satellites such as the newly launched MethaneSAT help reduce methane emissions?
[0:04:02]
AMY TOWNSEND-SMALL: So, I mentioned there’s a lot of different methane sources, and one of them is oil and gas production and use. Some of these sources are very big, such as oil and gas wells that produce oil that might just vent all their natural gas to the atmosphere or a broken gas pipeline. So, not only are these a source of greenhouse gas emissions, but they can also be a source of lost revenue to the companies that operate them. And some of the emissions are so large that they can be seen via remote sensing technology from space or these satellites. And the hope is that once these very high emissions are identified, they would be quickly fixed. And that’s how these satellites will hopefully reduce methane emissions.
Why are methane emissions so bad for the environment?
[0:04:59]
AMY TOWNSEND-SMALL: Methane is a greenhouse gas, and it’s best at trapping heat right after it’s emitted. So, in other words, when methane emissions go up, temperatures go up faster and faster. And for the past 20 years, methane emissions on Earth have been growing faster and faster, almost every year. That’s a very scary thing for our climate because it can cause the type of climate impacts that we can’t handle or adapt to, like out-of-control storms, or fires, or rapid sea level rise.
Does methane pose a health or safety threat to people?
[0:05:40]
AMY TOWNSEND-SMALL: The biggest health or safety threat from methane is from natural gas leaks. Almost every day, these gas leaks are in the news for causing property damage, injuries, or deaths from explosions. Methane itself isn’t harmful, but when it’s burned, it can create secondary air pollutants that can lead to unsafe levels of toxic pollutants like carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide inside homes or other buildings. And of course, burning fossil fuels is causing rapid temperature increases on Earth from carbon dioxide emissions in addition to methane emissions.
What can be done to reduce methane emissions?
[0:06:29]
AMY TOWNSEND-SMALL: One thing that’s exciting about working on methane emissions is that because there’s so many different sources, there’s also many different ways to reduce methane. And many of these also have co-benefits. So, limiting leaks of methane from the oil and gas supply chain will not only reduce the climate impact of natural gas, but it can also reduce the impact of fossil fuel burning. So, the best way to reduce our climate impact overall is to transition away from fossil fuels such as natural gas and toward renewable electricity and all electric appliances all together. And the United States’ new Inflation Reduction Act actually has many incentives and rebates for home electrification toward this very goal. Reducing beef and dairy consumption will also help reduce agricultural methane emissions but also the overall environmental footprint of agriculture, since so many resources grow into producing food for these animals. And then reducing food waste in landfills, which is the primary source of methane from the waste sector that can reduce methane emissions, but also has environmental and social justice implications because there’s so many hungry people in the world.
How much of a concern are abandoned oil and gas wells in terms of emissions?
[0:08:07]
AMY TOWNSEND-SMALL: Abandoned oil and gas wells get a lot of attention in the media, and there are millions of legacy wells from over 150 years of oil and gas drilling in the United States. However, the scientific consensus shows these inactive wells are a minor source of methane compared to active production and use of natural gas. We urgently need to reduce our reliance on fossil fuels to reduce both methane and carbon dioxide emissions as soon as possible.
