The Oil and Gas Sector Needs to Tackle Its Methane Problem. Here’s How to Track It.

This RMI fact sheet introduces the Oil Climate Index plus Gas (OCI+), an open-source interactive tool designed to track and analyze the methane intensity of global oil and gas resources. The document highlights the significant role of methane in industry emissions, the potential for profitable reductions, and the use of satellite technology and environmental justice mapping to mitigate climate and community risks.

• The oil and gas sector is responsible for approximately one-third of global methane emissions, and methane emissions themselves account for more than half of all emissions within the industry, making them comparable in impact to CO2.
• According to the International Energy Agency, more than 50% of methane emissions from the oil and gas industry can be reduced profitably. Furthermore, certifying natural gas supplies with leakage rates under 0.2% via protocols such as MiQ could establish new markets for lower-intensity resources.
• Methane leakage rates in the US vary significantly, with some studies showing a range from under 1% to over 9%, while others suggest rates of 25% or more. If leakage is as low as 0.2%, these systems can emit net greenhouse gases equivalent to coal.
• New satellite monitoring capabilities, including MethaneSAT from EDF and the Carbon Mapper program, are expected to provide routine and open reporting on methane super-emitters following instrument launches in 2024.
• The OCI+ tool includes a Flaring EJ Risk Map that uses 2022 US flaring data from NOAA VIIRS satellites to identify environmental justice risks for communities located near flares in upstream oil production, such as those in the Eagle Ford Shale of Texas.

APA

RMI (2024). The Oil and Gas Sector Needs to Tackle Its Methane Problem. Here’s How to Track It. https://rmi.org/app/uploads/2023/03/oci_plus_methane.pdf

Chicago

RMI. The Oil and Gas Sector Needs to Tackle Its Methane Problem. Here’s How to Track It. 2024. https://rmi.org/app/uploads/2023/03/oci_plus_methane.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=RMI |title=The Oil and Gas Sector Needs to Tackle Its Methane Problem. Here’s How to Track It. |date=September 2024 |url=https://rmi.org/app/uploads/2023/03/oci_plus_methane.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{rmi2024oil, author = {{RMI}}, title = {{The Oil and Gas Sector Needs to Tackle Its Methane Problem. Here’s How to Track It.}}, institution = {RMI}, year = {2024}, month = sep, url = {https://rmi.org/app/uploads/2023/03/oci_plus_methane.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }