The amount of methane that escaped into the atmosphere during the rupture of the European Nord Stream gas pipelines in September 2022 is much greater than previously believed.
According to a new study coordinated by the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), 485,000 tonnes of this powerful greenhouse gas were released, or twice as much as the first estimates. Previous studies have estimated the Nord Stream leak at between 75,000 and 230,000 tonnes.
The Nord Stream leak was already considered one of the largest human-caused methane releases in history. But the new UNEP analysis, published in the journal Nature, reveals its true scale for the first time.
The leak is close to five times larger than the previous world recordthat of the Aliso Canyon natural gas storage facility, in the United States.
According to experts, in the short term, the Nord Stream leak contributed to global warming to an extent equivalent to that of 8 million cars having been driven for one year.
“This leak is extraordinary in its scale, but it is only the tip of the iceberg,” said Manfredi Caltagirone, director of the International Methane Emissions Observatory, led by UNEP.
“Despite their scale, the Nord Stream explosions only accounted for two days of methane emissions from the global oil and gas industry. There is a huge opportunity to tackle this pollution, which is making the climate crisis worse.”
80 times more powerful than CO2, but shorter lifespan
Methane, which is often a byproduct of oil and gas production, is responsible for about a third of global warming. Although it only exists in the atmosphere for about ten years, it is more than 80 times more effective at trapping heat than the most common greenhouse gas in the world, carbon dioxide.
Nearly 70 scientists from 30 research organizations participated in this new study. They concluded that the “plausible range” for the Nord Stream leak was between 445,000 and 485,000 tonnes.
The Nord Stream study is part of a broader UNEP effort to help the world understand and control methane emissions.
Methane emissions are increasing faster than at any time since the 1980s. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has called on countries to reduce emissions by at least 30% by 2030 to meet the Paris Agreement’s goal of limiting climate change. Earth’s temperature rises to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels.
Summary of an article published in English by UNEP
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