Why measuring methane matters

The briefing examines the discrepancy between methane emissions reported by the oil and gas industry and those found through independent measurements. It highlights that industry-led estimation methodologies, such as the API Compendium, often fail to account for 'super-emitter' events, leading to reports that may be 94% lower than independent estimates. The author calls for regulators to mandate measured rather than estimated data to verify climate claims and ensure the effectiveness of the Global Methane Pledge.

• Methane emissions reported by major oil and gas companies are significantly lower than independent assessments, with some calculations suggesting reported figures are 94% lower than estimates from the IEA and Global Carbon Project.
• The industry's reliance on 'component-by-component' estimation methods—often based on the API Compendium developed by 19 oil and gas companies—tends to underestimate emissions because it ignores the specific characteristics of assets and fails to capture 'super-emitters,' which can account for up to half of total emissions from natural gas production sites.
• Independent studies in the US and UK show a consistent gap between government inventories and direct measurements; for example, a 2024 US study found emissions were roughly three times higher than EPA inventory estimates, while a UK study found the NAEI was five times lower than direct measurements.
• The IEA estimates that a 75% reduction in emissions from fossil fuel operations is necessary to meet the majority of the Global Methane Pledge's target to reduce global methane emissions by 30% by 2030.

APA

Team, Z. (2024). Why measuring methane matters. Zero Carbon Analytics. https://zerocarbon-analytics.org/insights/briefings/why-measuring-methane-matters/

Chicago

Team, ZCA. Why measuring methane matters. Zero Carbon Analytics, 2024. https://zerocarbon-analytics.org/insights/briefings/why-measuring-methane-matters/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Team |first1=ZCA |title=Why measuring methane matters |publisher=Zero Carbon Analytics |date=18 June 2024 |url=https://zerocarbon-analytics.org/insights/briefings/why-measuring-methane-matters/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{team2024why, author = {Team, ZCA}, title = {{Why measuring methane matters}}, institution = {Zero Carbon Analytics}, year = {2024}, month = jun, url = {https://zerocarbon-analytics.org/insights/briefings/why-measuring-methane-matters/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }