White House Considers Methane-Busting Vow Before Climate Summit

摘要

The Biden administration is considering singling out methane for significant reductions as part of a pledge to cut greenhouse gases in advance of a climate summit next week, according to two people familiar with the matter. President Joe Biden is already expected to unveil an ambitious goal for slashing all greenhouse gases before the April 22 virtual event, which dozens of nations are slated to attend. But activists have pushed the administration to go further when it comes to methane, since it is so potent that reductions over just the next few years can be a major weapon in the fight against climate change. "It will take a while to slow down the concentration of carbon in the atmosphere, but methane turns the dial down a lot faster and a lot sooner," said Derek Walker, vice president for U.S. climate at the Environmental Defense Fund. The burden for reducing methane, the primary component of natural gas, would fall largely on the oil industry that is a chief source of it, alongside cow burps, landfills and coal mines. In the oilfield, methane leaks out of processing equipment and is sometimes vented directly from wells.