Assessment of methane emissions from the U.S. oil and gas supply chain

Authors: Ramón A. Alvarez, Daniel Zavala‐Araiza, David Lyon, David T. Allen, Zachary Barkley, Adam R. Brandt, K. J. Davis, Scott C. Herndon, Daniel J. Jacob, A. Karion, E. A. Kort, Brian Lamb, Thomas Lauvaux, Joannes D. Maasakkers, Anthony J. Marchese, Mark Omara, Stephen W. Pacala, Jeff Peischl, Allen L. Robinson, P. B. Shepson, Colm Sweeney, Amy Townsend‐Small, Steven C. Wofsy, Steven P. Hamburg - Science 2018 cited by 1,248

A leaky endeavor Considerable amounts of the greenhouse gas methane leak from the U.S. oil and natural gas supply chain. Alvarez et al. reassessed the magnitude of this leakage and found that in 2015, supply chain emissions were ∼60% higher than the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency inventory estimate. They suggest that this discrepancy exists because current inventory methods miss emissions that occur during abnormal operating conditions. These data, and the methodology used to obtain them, could improve and verify international inventories of greenhouse gases and provide a better understanding of mitigation efforts outlined by the Paris Agreement. Science , this issue p. 186