Fossil Fuel Impacts
CHARTING A NEW, CLEANER PATH
As we transition to cleaner energy resources throughout the economy, we must dramatically reduce the climate and health impacts of today’s oil and gas supply chain.
Methane Mitigation
The Fastest Way To Slow Climate Change
Reducing methane emissions is the simplest, most affordable way to reduce warming now. Methane is a super-charged climate pollutant, more than 80x more powerful than carbon dioxide over 20 years, and the oil and gas industry is the second largest source of global methane emissions.
A landmark United Nations (U.N.) assessment said cutting methane was among “the most cost-effective strategies to rapidly reduce the rate of warming.” Environmental Defense Fund research shows existing technologies could cut methane pollution in half by 2030 and slow the rate of warming by as much as 30%.
Methane Mitigation
The Fastest Way To Slow Climate Change
Reducing methane emissions is the simplest, most affordable way to reduce warming now. Methane is a super-charged climate pollutant, more than 80x more powerful than carbon dioxide over 20 years, and the oil and gas industry is the second largest source of global methane emissions.
A landmark United Nations (U.N.) assessment said cutting methane was among “the most cost-effective strategies to rapidly reduce the rate of warming.” Environmental Defense Fund research shows existing technologies could cut methane pollution in half by 2030 and slow the rate of warming by as much as 30%.
Pollution Reduction
Stronger Safeguards For Petrochemicals
Fossil fuels don’t just warm the planet. They create local air pollution that threatens the health of the communities where they’re produced and used. That’s true of power plants, highway traffic, and refineries and petrochemical facilities. Often these effects are worse for the least advantaged communities.
The Fastest Way To Slow Climate Change
Reducing methane emissions is the simplest, most affordable way to reduce warming now. Methane is a super-charged climate pollutant, more than 80x more powerful than carbon dioxide over 20 years, and the oil and gas industry is the second largest source of global methane emissions.
A landmark United Nations (U.N.) assessment said cutting methane was among “the most cost-effective strategies to rapidly reduce the rate of warming.” Environmental Defense Fund research shows existing technologies could cut methane pollution in half by 2030 and slow the rate of warming by as much as 30%.
The E.U. and U.S. agreed to cut methane emissions from major sources, including oil and gas and large-scale agriculture, by at least 30% by 2030. At the U.N. climate summit in Glasgow, more than 100 countries joined the Global Methane Pledge.
According to Dr. Fatih Birol, Executive Director of the International Energy Agency, “Cutting the world’s methane emissions by 30% over the next decade would have the same effect on global warming by mid-century as immediately shifting the global transport sector to net zero CO2 emissions.”
“Companies and countries are moving on methane. We must now turn their commitments into action and hold them accountable.”
– Daniel Zavala-Araiza, Ph.D., Sr. Scientist, Environmental Defense Fund Energy Transition Program
To RAPIDLY REDUCE METHANE emissions and INCREASE transparency, we created MethaneSAT, an Environmental Defense Fund subsidiary. Launching in 2023, the satellite will track and measure methane pollution as never before, calculating large and small emissions sources and rates at specific sites, and across wide areas. MethaneSAT data will be public, setting a new standard for emissions transparency.
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Visit MethaneSAT
Stronger Safeguards For PEtrochemicals
Fossil fuels don’t just warm the planet. They create local air pollution that threatens the health of the communities where they’re produced and used. That’s true of power plants, highway traffic, and refineries and petrochemical facilities. Often these effects are worse for the least advantaged communities.
“The industries that threaten our climate have threatened the health of local communities for generations. We have a responsibility to not just reduce climate emissions, but to reduce the immediate impacts fossil fuels have on our neighborhoods.”
– Beth Trask, Energy Transition Associate Vice President, Environmental Defense Fund
Petrochemicals account for 12% of global oil demand. Production of plastic—the largest petrochemical product—has doubled since 2000.
Environmental Defense Fund is using its scientific, legal, regulatory, and communications expertise to document local impact and provide community leaders with the resources they need to clean their air. Our scientists are deploying innovative monitoring techniques to visualize pollution levels and health impacts, and we’re helping communities hold polluters accountable and advocate for a faster transition to the cleaner industries of the future.
