For a dozen years, study after scientific study has documented the vast amount of methane released to the atmosphere by oil and gas operations worldwide. Faced with mounting data, both producers and regulators have slowly but steadily ramped up efforts to cut these emissions, which are both a waste of natural resources and a powerful climate pollutant.
Until now, emphasis has largely been on chasing down large emissions sources, sometimes called super-emitters. After all, why not go after the biggest fish first? What’s more, big leaks are easier to find. But a new study led by EDF scientists builds an integrated analysis of measurement-based data spanning a range of emitting facilities across multiple US oil and gas basins calls this assumption into question.
