A relatively small number of major methane emissions events are responsible for as much as 12% of global methane pollution from oil and gas operations, satellite data show. Methane is a far more potent, but less long-lasting, heat-trapping gas than CO2 and research published Thursday in Science shows staunching emissions from these “super” polluters represents a cost-effective way to mitigate global warming in the short term. Most of the major emissions releases documented by satellite in the study came from fossil fuel operations in Russia, Turkmenistan, and Iran, as well as the U.S. and parts of the Middle East. (Washington Post $)