GS Paper III

News Excerpt:

The International Methane Emissions Observatory’s (IMEO) third annual report - ‘An Eye on Methane’ has been published.

• It provides decision-makers with a framework of action to track and monitor methane emissions to plan targeted and ambitious actions for their mitigation.

About the IMEO Report:

• UNEP, through IMEO and the Climate and Clean Air Coalition (CCAC), is the designated implementation partner for the GMP. 
• Aim: To catalyse rapid climate action informed through these new data, with a program of science studies, industry partnerships, and the design of a robust measurement, reporting, and verification (MRV) framework.
• Objective: A methane data revolution is just around the corner, making it possible to move beyond generic emission factors that attempt to estimate the release of methane pollution and to replace them with more accurate empirical measurements of what is happening on the ground.
• Key highlights of IMEO Report as of 2023:
  • The methane data platform is under design.
  • The Methane Alert and Response System (MARS) (from COP27) has issued alerts on 127 plumes to the responsible authorities.
  • 20 IMEO-funded and coordinated peer-reviewed studies have been published, and 7 studies submitted or are under review.
  • 114 oil and gas companies – covering 37% of production – joined UNEP’s measurement, reporting and verification program OGMP 2.0 September 2023 cut-off.
  • Funding is secured for baseline studies that will provide an empirical and actionable assessment of emissions across methane-emitting sectors for selected countries.

a) Methane Data Platform: The IMEO Data Timeline:

• IMEO is providing an outlook of the type and granularity of information that it can expect to provide over the next five years. 

• This schedule is IMEO’s current expectation and will be revised as the work continues and analyses are improved. The table below shows that the integration of multiple methane data sources is at the heart of IMEO – a five-year plan.

b) MARS: New Global System to Identify Methane Emissions:

• MARS is the first global system that connects satellite-detected methane emissions with a transparent notification process that promotes on-the-ground emission mitigation efforts. The innovative MARS approach connects satellite data with those who can act on emissions.
• This allowed UNEP’s MARS initiative to notify government focal points and relevant OGMP 2.0 member companies with actionable information on 127 plumes in the oil and gas sector.

c) IMEO-funded and coordinated peer-reviewed studies:

• OGMP 2.0: Radical Transparency in the Oil and Gas Sector:

• While members join in various stages of their emission discovery and the required mitigation, Gold Standard reporting sets out rigorous deadlines against which a member must transition its emissions understanding to greater granularity and higher quality.

• Companies may achieve Gold Standard Pathway before years 3 and 5 via: 
  • Submission of OGMP 2.0-compliant Level 1 (or higher) report for all in-scope assets 
  • Submission of a granular implementation plan per asset to get to Level 4/5 for all in-scope assets 
  • Establishing a methane reduction target

d) Coverage of geographical regions:

• OGMP 2.0 members from 68 countries now jointly represent 37 percent of global oil and gas production, more than 80 percent of liquefied natural gas (LNG) liquefaction capacity, around 25 percent of global natural gas transmission and distribution pipelines by length, and more than 20 percent of global underground storage capacity.
• In 2022, the partnership welcomed its first Southeast Asian member company, Petronas of Malaysia.

• OGMP 2.0 has also expanded to previously underrepresented regions and countries. The greatest relative expansion has been in North America, with the U.S. membership nearly doubling to 20. 
• European participation continued to see steady growth, adding 14 new members in late 2022 and the first half of 2023 across all segments, including Romgaz and ONE-Dyas.

e) On Methane Science Update:

• The goal of IMEO’s science studies is to reduce the uncertainty in the location and magnitude of methane emissions.
• They aim to improve the understanding of emission patterns and/or to guide mitigation action. 
• The studies allow for methodology development and expanding capacity in research institutions, to provide the companies that need to mitigate the emissions with more guidance and stronger local partners.

f) On Building Capacity in Governments to Address Methane Emissions:

• Growing relationships with government stakeholders drive progress across IMEO’s work streams.
• Overview of Training Programme Offer and Delivery
• Engaging the Inventory Community
• Learnings from Successful Mitigation

Looking Forward:

• Existing methodologies are now mature enough to be rapidly deployed and will provide accurate estimates of emissions if applied consistently with the assumed conditions. 
• Top-down approaches have relied on ground-based mobile measurements, airborne-based measurements, tower networks, and satellite remote sensing.
• Future IMEO scientific work will also focus on improving the characterization of key emission sources and advancing and homogenizing robust testing and validation of methane monitoring technologies. 
• There will be a particular focus on flaring efficiency, as the evidence suggests that this source is significantly under-reported.

Mains PYQ

Q. Discuss global warming and mention its effects on the global climate. Explain the control measures to bring down the level of greenhouse gases that cause global warming, in the light of the Kyoto Protocol, 1997. (UPSC 2022)

Q. Describe the major outcomes of the 26th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). What are the commitments made by India in this conference? (UPSC 2021)