Mitigating Methane from the Energy Sector

The report details how the energy sector contributes significantly to global anthropogenic methane emissions, specifically through oil and gas extraction (23%) and coal mining (12%). It highlights the severe health risks associated with methane and its co-pollutants, such as tropospheric ozone, NOx, and PM2.5, which contribute to respiratory and cardiovascular diseases. The document advocates for a full phase-out of fossil fuels while recommending immediate technical solutions—such as leak detection, vapor recovery units, and the banning of fracking—to reduce near-term warming and protect public health, particularly in vulnerable communities in Iraq, Nigeria, South Africa, and Canada.

• Oil and natural gas activities are responsible for approximately 23 percent of total global anthropogenic methane emissions, with about 80 percent of these emissions originating from extraction and production due to leakage, venting, and flaring.
• Coal mining accounts for 12 percent of total global anthropogenic methane emissions, releasing gas through seepage, ventilation, drainage, post-mining activities, and abandoned mines.
• Methane emissions from the energy sector are typically co-emitted with hazardous air pollutants, including nitrogen oxides (NOx), particulate matter 2.5 (PM 2.5), and BTEX (benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylene), which increase risks of cancer, respiratory illness, and cardiovascular disease.
• The use of natural gas in indoor settings, such as ovens and stovetops, leaks methane and other pollutants like BTEX and NOx, while indoor heating in dense urban areas has been found to contribute to outdoor NOx levels that exceed WHO air quality guidelines.
• Coal mining causes specific occupational and community health crises, including 'black lung disease' (coal workers’ pneumoconiosis) and silicosis from coal mine dust, as well as liver and kidney diseases from heavy metals like arsenic, copper, and lead leaking into waterways.
• The report identifies critical regional health impacts: natural gas flaring in Iraq is linked to rising cancer rates in Basra; flaring in Nigeria is associated with childhood respiratory illnesses and fever; and large methane plumes from coal mines in South Africa degrade local air quality.
• Current international climate commitments are insufficient, as only 18 percent of the 168 Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) include measures to reduce fugitive methane emissions from oil and natural gas, and only 2 percent address coal mining.
• To mitigate health and climate risks, the report recommends a combination of a full fossil fuel phase-out and immediate technical interventions, including leak detection and repair, electrification of compressor engines, bans on flaring and fracking, and the removal of fossil fuel subsidies.

APA

Nguyen, L., Quintana, A., Rowland, A., & Vegh-Gaynor, G. (2023). Mitigating Methane from the Energy Sector. Global Climate and Health Alliance. https://climateandhealthalliance.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/MethaneReport-Energy_FINAL.pdf

Chicago

Nguyen, Linh, Amanda Quintana, Amy Rowland, and Gabriel Vegh-Gaynor. Mitigating Methane from the Energy Sector. Global Climate and Health Alliance, 2023. https://climateandhealthalliance.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/MethaneReport-Energy_FINAL.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Nguyen |first1=Linh |last2=Quintana |first2=Amanda |last3=Rowland |first3=Amy |last4=Vegh-Gaynor |first4=Gabriel |title=Mitigating Methane from the Energy Sector |publisher=Global Climate and Health Alliance |date=August 2023 |url=https://climateandhealthalliance.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/MethaneReport-Energy_FINAL.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{nguyen2023mitigating, author = {Nguyen, Linh and Quintana, Amanda and Rowland, Amy and Vegh-Gaynor, Gabriel}, title = {{Mitigating Methane from the Energy Sector}}, institution = {Global Climate and Health Alliance}, year = {2023}, month = aug, url = {https://climateandhealthalliance.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/MethaneReport-Energy_FINAL.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }