Welcome to Zero. I'm oscar boid. Methane is one of the most potent greenhouse gases. We pump into the atmosphere, we extract it in huge quantities and burn it to power everything from household boilers and kitchen stoves to giant power plants, and during that process tens of millions of tons of methink gets leaked into the atmosphere, driving climate change. It's a huge problem, but a problem that is relatively easy, cheap, and quick to fix. Stopping methane leaks has been described as one of the lowest hanging fruits in the fight against climate change. So for this bonus episode of Zero, I'm catching up with Action Rathy to talk about the methane problem and how it can be solved. So very quickly, let's just start at the beginning. Could you outline the methane problem for me.

Welcome to Zero. I'm oscar boid. Methane is one of the most potent greenhouse gases. We pump into the atmosphere, we extract it in huge quantities and burn it to power everything from household boilers and kitchen stoves to giant power plants, and during that process tens of millions of tons of methink gets leaked into the atmosphere, driving climate change. It's a huge problem, but a problem that is relatively easy, cheap, and quick to fix. Stopping methane leaks has been described as one of the lowest hanging fruits in the fight against climate change. So for this bonus episode of Zero, I'm catching up with Action Rathy to talk about the methane problem and how it can be solved. So very quickly, let's just start at the beginning. Could you outline the methane problem for me.

So, most of the time we talk about the climate problem as a carbon dioxide problem, and that's right. About three quarters or more of the warming is because of carbon dioxide. However, a good chunk is because of other greenhouse gases, and the largest bit of that is from methane. The trouble with methane is that it's many times worse than carbon dioxide ton for ton.

So, most of the time we talk about the climate problem as a carbon dioxide problem, and that's right. About three quarters or more of the warming is because of carbon dioxide. However, a good chunk is because of other greenhouse gases, and the largest bit of that is from methane. The trouble with methane is that it's many times worse than carbon dioxide ton for ton.

How many times for us?

How many times for us?

The calculation is a little complicated because methane, once put into the atmosphere, degrades much much more quickly than carbon dioxide does, and so scientists calculated over a period and they measure it in something called the global warming potential. So over a twenty year period, methane is more than eighty times worse than carbon dioxide ton for ton. Over one hundred year period, it's about twenty five times, And that tells you something because most of the warming that methane causes it causes in the first twenty years, and if you cut those emissions now, most of the benefits you would get from cutting those emissions will also be within the next twenty years. And that's the net zero timeline we are operating on.

The calculation is a little complicated because methane, once put into the atmosphere, degrades much much more quickly than carbon dioxide does, and so scientists calculated over a period and they measure it in something called the global warming potential. So over a twenty year period, methane is more than eighty times worse than carbon dioxide ton for ton. Over one hundred year period, it's about twenty five times, And that tells you something because most of the warming that methane causes it causes in the first twenty years, and if you cut those emissions now, most of the benefits you would get from cutting those emissions will also be within the next twenty years. And that's the net zero timeline we are operating on.

So it's a big problem, but it's a problem with the potential upside. If we take action now, it will show relatively quickly what are the main sources of me saying so.

So it's a big problem, but it's a problem with the potential upside. If we take action now, it will show relatively quickly what are the main sources of me saying so.

About sixty percent of methane emissions are because of human activity and forty percent from natural sources. Within that sixty percent, about forty percent is coming from fossil fuels, so stuff that we extract from the ground, transport and then burn. At every point in that chain, some of it gets leaked. That's also the bit that can be very easily fixed, and in fact, the International Energy Agency calculates that if you actually fix those leaks, the fixing of the leaks will pay for itself. The other sources from human activities are more complicated. So there's agricultural methane that comes from rice production mostly. Then there's methane from livestock wearing, so a lot of cowverping laughable, but really it is a big problem. And there is methane emissions from landfill, so food that you put in the bin which is not composted properly does get degraded and not just produce carbon dioxide, but actually produce methane to.

About sixty percent of methane emissions are because of human activity and forty percent from natural sources. Within that sixty percent, about forty percent is coming from fossil fuels, so stuff that we extract from the ground, transport and then burn. At every point in that chain, some of it gets leaked. That's also the bit that can be very easily fixed, and in fact, the International Energy Agency calculates that if you actually fix those leaks, the fixing of the leaks will pay for itself. The other sources from human activities are more complicated. So there's agricultural methane that comes from rice production mostly. Then there's methane from livestock wearing, so a lot of cowverping laughable, but really it is a big problem. And there is methane emissions from landfill, so food that you put in the bin which is not composted properly does get degraded and not just produce carbon dioxide, but actually produce methane to.

So if we come back to that first most easily tacklable source of methane emissions, which is from the fossil fuel industry, which countries are contributing the most to this at the moment, from.

So if we come back to that first most easily tacklable source of methane emissions, which is from the fossil fuel industry, which countries are contributing the most to this at the moment, from.

Oil and gas, it's the big producers Russia, US, Turkmenistan, which is a big gas producer but also a big leaker of gas. There's also methane that leaks from coal production, and China, which is a big coal producer, well the largest coal producer, also is the largest emitter of methane from coal mining.

Oil and gas, it's the big producers Russia, US, Turkmenistan, which is a big gas producer but also a big leaker of gas. There's also methane that leaks from coal production, and China, which is a big coal producer, well the largest coal producer, also is the largest emitter of methane from coal mining.

Roughly how much are these countries emitting in terms of tons per.

Roughly how much are these countries emitting in terms of tons per.

A so China is about twenty five million tons, Russia around twenty million tons, the US around the same, Turkmenistan smaller, but still I mean five million tons. That's a lot.

A so China is about twenty five million tons, Russia around twenty million tons, the US around the same, Turkmenistan smaller, but still I mean five million tons. That's a lot.

So how are these methane leaks actually being monitored?

So how are these methane leaks actually being monitored?

That's complicated because it's a colorless ordorless gas, and to monitor them you need special equipment. That typically is some form of camera that can look in the infrared. So there are methane hunters. These are just people who are worried about these methane leaks who take these cameras and go around oil and gas facilities to see if there are leaks, and they often find those leaks. But of course we've got hundreds of thousands of places where we are extracting oil and gas, and that means you can't do that labor intensive job for every site. So the second stage is to put something in the air, typically a plane that's burning fossil fuels putting CO two out, but at least it's looking at methane leaks from the sky and is able to point out where there may be big leaking events happening. And then the final frontier is satellite measurement, which is more emissions friendly because it's not producing any CO two as it's looking at these methane leaks. But then it's so high up in the sky that the resolution is weaker. That means the type of leak it can catch is often a large leak. And so combine all of those and we get a picture of where the major sources of methane are. It's something that Bloomberg News has been following quite closely on all levels of measurement, but especially on satellite measurement, because many of the stories that our colleagues have done Aaron Clark and Tokyo especially, have resulted in investigations from government regulators.

That's complicated because it's a colorless ordorless gas, and to monitor them you need special equipment. That typically is some form of camera that can look in the infrared. So there are methane hunters. These are just people who are worried about these methane leaks who take these cameras and go around oil and gas facilities to see if there are leaks, and they often find those leaks. But of course we've got hundreds of thousands of places where we are extracting oil and gas, and that means you can't do that labor intensive job for every site. So the second stage is to put something in the air, typically a plane that's burning fossil fuels putting CO two out, but at least it's looking at methane leaks from the sky and is able to point out where there may be big leaking events happening. And then the final frontier is satellite measurement, which is more emissions friendly because it's not producing any CO two as it's looking at these methane leaks. But then it's so high up in the sky that the resolution is weaker. That means the type of leak it can catch is often a large leak. And so combine all of those and we get a picture of where the major sources of methane are. It's something that Bloomberg News has been following quite closely on all levels of measurement, but especially on satellite measurement, because many of the stories that our colleagues have done Aaron Clark and Tokyo especially, have resulted in investigations from government regulators.

Once you have this data, you've picked up a leak, either someone on the ground, one of these methane hunters going and finding it, or from a satellite off in the sky. How easy is it then to actually stop that methane leak. If it's a major event, then it's often quite easy because all you have to do is really just stop the flow of the gas, investigate what's gone wrong, and fix it. The more persistent and hard to measure leaks are smaller ones, and those require companies to put in the effort and technology often to come up with a way to find those leaks and then fix them. But this isn't cutting etche technology often right, it's just upgrading the infrastructure to more recent, less leaky pipes.

Once you have this data, you've picked up a leak, either someone on the ground, one of these methane hunters going and finding it, or from a satellite off in the sky. How easy is it then to actually stop that methane leak. If it's a major event, then it's often quite easy because all you have to do is really just stop the flow of the gas, investigate what's gone wrong, and fix it. The more persistent and hard to measure leaks are smaller ones, and those require companies to put in the effort and technology often to come up with a way to find those leaks and then fix them. But this isn't cutting etche technology often right, it's just upgrading the infrastructure to more recent, less leaky pipes.

Indeed, it's more sort of motivation that if companies really want to do it, they can, and the International Energy Agency says so that there are enough technologies available to actually deploy these solutions today.

Indeed, it's more sort of motivation that if companies really want to do it, they can, and the International Energy Agency says so that there are enough technologies available to actually deploy these solutions today.

Is it a case then that individual companies who are extracting fossil fuels are just in charge of monitoring these leaks, or are there more concerted international efforts to try and actually crack down on these leaks and make the progress that's needed.

Is it a case then that individual companies who are extracting fossil fuels are just in charge of monitoring these leaks, or are there more concerted international efforts to try and actually crack down on these leaks and make the progress that's needed.

Most corporate emissions in most parts of the world are currently voluntary disclosures. That means the way the companies measure it, estimate it, calculate it is all based on rules that the companies and the groups have decided on their own, but as the urgency of climate change and the science around methane has become clearer, governments have stepped up. So we've got a big announcement at COP twenty six in Glasgow in twenty twenty one when the Global Methane Pledge was signed.

Most corporate emissions in most parts of the world are currently voluntary disclosures. That means the way the companies measure it, estimate it, calculate it is all based on rules that the companies and the groups have decided on their own, but as the urgency of climate change and the science around methane has become clearer, governments have stepped up. So we've got a big announcement at COP twenty six in Glasgow in twenty twenty one when the Global Methane Pledge was signed.

Today we are officially launching our Missane Pledge and we're proud and happy and grateful that over eighty countries have signed up. This is fantastic. Together, these over eighty countries commit to reduce global methane emissions by at least thirty percent by twenty and thirty from twenty to twenty levels on.

Today we are officially launching our Missane Pledge and we're proud and happy and grateful that over eighty countries have signed up. This is fantastic. Together, these over eighty countries commit to reduce global methane emissions by at least thirty percent by twenty and thirty from twenty to twenty levels on.

Alongside that, a UN body launched a Methane Emissions Observatory which will use some of these tools like satellites to spot places where methane emissions are happening and help the countries that have made the pledges to actually meet them. So the news is starting to tighten just that little bit, but could go a lot farther, lot quicker.

Alongside that, a UN body launched a Methane Emissions Observatory which will use some of these tools like satellites to spot places where methane emissions are happening and help the countries that have made the pledges to actually meet them. So the news is starting to tighten just that little bit, but could go a lot farther, lot quicker.

And are we actually seeing specific action being taken as a result of these pledges.

And are we actually seeing specific action being taken as a result of these pledges.

The oil and gas industry is starting to talk about it even touted. So Sultan al Jabber, who is the president of COP twenty eight but also the head of Adnok, which is an oil and gas company, has said that oil and gas companies should have zero methane emissions by twenty thirty. Now this is backed up by government pledges which are looking at reducing all emissions from methane by thirty percent by twenty thirty. Some of them have put those pledges into law, like the European Union has done. There are certain rules expected from the US Environmental Protection Agency that will help reduce emissions. So it's starting to happen in many different places, and it is in some way a concerted effort because there is a global goal, but it requires monitoring from independent actors because it's not a given that these things will happen.

The oil and gas industry is starting to talk about it even touted. So Sultan al Jabber, who is the president of COP twenty eight but also the head of Adnok, which is an oil and gas company, has said that oil and gas companies should have zero methane emissions by twenty thirty. Now this is backed up by government pledges which are looking at reducing all emissions from methane by thirty percent by twenty thirty. Some of them have put those pledges into law, like the European Union has done. There are certain rules expected from the US Environmental Protection Agency that will help reduce emissions. So it's starting to happen in many different places, and it is in some way a concerted effort because there is a global goal, but it requires monitoring from independent actors because it's not a given that these things will happen.

So, say we do actually manage to stop all the methane leaks in the world, what kind of impact would that actually make.

So, say we do actually manage to stop all the methane leaks in the world, what kind of impact would that actually make.

So this is going to be numbers heavy, but stick with me because it's worth it. Reducing methane emissions associated with just the human part by fifty percent over the next thirty years will avoid global warming by point two degrees celsius. Now, if point two degree celsius sounds small. Well, the difference between one point five degrees celsius and two degrees celsius is point five degrees celsius. So it's a really meaningful fraction of the warming that could be avoided with a pretty reasonable reduction in methane emissions. Now, let's take the Trutmenistan example.

So this is going to be numbers heavy, but stick with me because it's worth it. Reducing methane emissions associated with just the human part by fifty percent over the next thirty years will avoid global warming by point two degrees celsius. Now, if point two degree celsius sounds small. Well, the difference between one point five degrees celsius and two degrees celsius is point five degrees celsius. So it's a really meaningful fraction of the warming that could be avoided with a pretty reasonable reduction in methane emissions. Now, let's take the Trutmenistan example.

Our favorite new country run.

Our favorite new country run.

By a very interesting dictator who you should read about on Bloomberg dot com slash green. But if that country is actually able to stop the leak, use that methane and even send it to the European Union to burn, the reduction in emissions would be the equivalent of two hundred and ninety million tons of THEOTO every year. And that's the emissions of Taiwan, which is the twenty first largest producer of greenhouse gases. So we're not talking small numbers.

By a very interesting dictator who you should read about on Bloomberg dot com slash green. But if that country is actually able to stop the leak, use that methane and even send it to the European Union to burn, the reduction in emissions would be the equivalent of two hundred and ninety million tons of THEOTO every year. And that's the emissions of Taiwan, which is the twenty first largest producer of greenhouse gases. So we're not talking small numbers.

Here, and Techmanistan is not even the biggest vendor here. If Russia, China, the US could will do the same, that impact would be tinormous.

Here, and Techmanistan is not even the biggest vendor here. If Russia, China, the US could will do the same, that impact would be tinormous.

Absolutely.

Absolutely.

We started this off by saying that stuffing methaneleaks from fossil fuel extraction is the kind of easiest, cheapest fix that we can undertake. How much harder is it to tackle the other human sources of methane emissions.

We started this off by saying that stuffing methaneleaks from fossil fuel extraction is the kind of easiest, cheapest fix that we can undertake. How much harder is it to tackle the other human sources of methane emissions.

That is harder, but there are solutions, so on rice production, there are methods you can use to reduce methane emissions from rice production. Use less water is one of the solutions, which also would be a good solution for the water crisis that many of the same regions are facing. There are also solutions that are being tested on cows, so they are being given different types of feed, or they are additives that are given to the same type of feed that reduce the production of methane from the microbes that sit in the cow's guts. All of that will contribute, but it's much much harder and will be more expensive than actually what fossil fuel companies can do by stopping links.

That is harder, but there are solutions, so on rice production, there are methods you can use to reduce methane emissions from rice production. Use less water is one of the solutions, which also would be a good solution for the water crisis that many of the same regions are facing. There are also solutions that are being tested on cows, so they are being given different types of feed, or they are additives that are given to the same type of feed that reduce the production of methane from the microbes that sit in the cow's guts. All of that will contribute, but it's much much harder and will be more expensive than actually what fossil fuel companies can do by stopping links.

And then finally, you said about sixty percent of all deneathen emissions in the world right now are from human sources, which leaves about forty percent from natural sources. What can we do to reduce those emissions, if anything at all?

And then finally, you said about sixty percent of all deneathen emissions in the world right now are from human sources, which leaves about forty percent from natural sources. What can we do to reduce those emissions, if anything at all?

Not very much. The natural sources are those which actually might be made worse because of climate change because they come from places like wetlands, or they may come from the melting of permafrost in the northern territories in Russia or Canada which have been well permanently frozen, but climate change will warm them up and cause the degradation of the underlying carbon into methane, but also COO two. And that's why, because you can't stop those natural sources, ensuring that you slow down warming period will allow you to slow down the emissions from those natural sources. So it is a self serving argument in a way, stop the methane emissions from human activity, and of course stop the greenose gas emissions grate large from human activity, and then you can manage the methane emissions that come from natural sources.

Not very much. The natural sources are those which actually might be made worse because of climate change because they come from places like wetlands, or they may come from the melting of permafrost in the northern territories in Russia or Canada which have been well permanently frozen, but climate change will warm them up and cause the degradation of the underlying carbon into methane, but also COO two. And that's why, because you can't stop those natural sources, ensuring that you slow down warming period will allow you to slow down the emissions from those natural sources. So it is a self serving argument in a way, stop the methane emissions from human activity, and of course stop the greenose gas emissions grate large from human activity, and then you can manage the methane emissions that come from natural sources.

Actually, thank you very much.

Actually, thank you very much.

Thank you, because methane was one of the first stories we got onto here at Bloomberg Green after it's launch in twenty twenty, and it's really been a fruitful exercise because the more we've explored it, the more there are solutions and the more actions are being taken to reduce methane emissions.

Thank you, because methane was one of the first stories we got onto here at Bloomberg Green after it's launch in twenty twenty, and it's really been a fruitful exercise because the more we've explored it, the more there are solutions and the more actions are being taken to reduce methane emissions.

Thank you for listening to Zero. If you enjoyed this episode, please take a moment to rate and review the show on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. You can email us at zero pod at Bloomberg dot net. Zero's producer is me Oscar Boyd and senior producer is Christine driscoll Our. Theme music is composed by Wonderlee. Special thanks to Aaron Clark and Kira Binjam for their help on this episode. We've linked to some of Aaron's wonderful investigations into methane leakages in the show notes. We'll be back with a regular episode on Thursday,

Thank you for listening to Zero. If you enjoyed this episode, please take a moment to rate and review the show on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. You can email us at zero pod at Bloomberg dot net. Zero's producer is me Oscar Boyd and senior producer is Christine driscoll Our. Theme music is composed by Wonderlee. Special thanks to Aaron Clark and Kira Binjam for their help on this episode. We've linked to some of Aaron's wonderful investigations into methane leakages in the show notes. We'll be back with a regular episode on Thursday,