The more than 4 million North American abandoned oil and gas wells are leaking far more methane into the atmosphere than the U.S. and Canadian governments estimate, Reuters reports. Methane traps 80 times more heat than carbon dioxide in its first 20 years in the atmosphere, making methane pollution a significant driver of global warming. Researchers from McGill University said Wednesday that the Canadian government has underestimated methane pollution from its roughly 60,000 abandoned wells by as much as 150%, while American estimates are about 20% below the actual methane pollution released by its estimated 500,000 abandoned wells. Methane pollution from abandoned wells comes on top of the pollution released from active oil and gas extraction operations, a huge driver of increased methane pollution in North America. (Reuters)
