Methane leaks from dormant oil and gas wells in Canada are seven times worse than thought, study suggests

How so??

"Non-producing wells are one of the most uncertain sources of methane emissions in Canada," said Mary Kang, Associate Professor of Civil Engineering at McGill and senior author on the paper. "We measured the highest methane emission rate from a non-producing oil and gas well ever reported in Canada." - Methane is a potent greenhouse gas. Over a 20-year period, it traps about 80 times more heat in the atmosphere than the same amount of carbon dioxide. It's also associated with air pollution and health risks. Kang's team directly measured methane emissions from 494 wells across five provinces using a chamber-based method and analyzed well-level data such as age, depth and plugging status.

2 comments

title as if made for facebook page
- How so??
  "Non-producing wells are one of the most uncertain sources of methane emissions in Canada," said Mary Kang, Associate Professor of Civil Engineering at McGill and senior author on the paper. "We measured the highest methane emission rate from a non-producing oil and gas well ever reported in Canada." - Methane is a potent greenhouse gas. Over a 20-year period, it traps about 80 times more heat in the atmosphere than the same amount of carbon dioxide. It's also associated with air pollution and health risks. Kang's team directly measured methane emissions from 494 wells across five provinces using a chamber-based method and analyzed well-level data such as age, depth and plugging status.