Hey amigos! 🌎 Did you hear what's happening with methane leaks? The UN's been keeping an eye on these sneaky gas emissions from oil and gas infrastructures. Since last year, they've sent out 1,200 alerts to governments and companies. But guess what? Only 12 of them – that's just 1% – got a real response! 😱
Roland Kupers, the brain behind this program, shared at the COP29 climate summit in Azerbaijan, \"We had expected the response rate to be substantially higher.\"
Many of these countries had promised to cut methane emissions by 30% from 2020 levels by 2030. But actions speak louder than words, right?
Inger Andersen, the executive director of the UN Environment Programme, didn't hold back: \"Governments and oil and gas companies must stop paying lip service to this challenge. They should recognize the significant opportunity this system presents and start responding by plugging leaks that are spewing out climate-warming methane.\"
Methane is a big deal, amigos. It's got 80 times the warming power of carbon dioxide over 20 years! 🌡️ To date, methane emissions have caused about 0.5°C of global warming – that's a third of the total rise since the 19th century.
Experts say fixing leaks from oil and gas wells is one of the fastest ways to tackle climate change. Plus, it makes financial sense—lost methane means lost money! 💸
Despite 150 countries signing the Global Methane Pledge, methane emissions from oil and gas are still at record highs since 2019. Around 140 companies have also pledged to tackle unintentional methane emissions. So, what's the hold-up?
It's time for real action! Let's push our leaders to plug those leaks and protect our planet. 🌍✊
Reference(s):
UN: Countries, companies lag in response to methane emissions report
cgtn.com
