Fixing methane leaks 'key to climate'

New research has found that fracking could be disastrous for the climate if methane leaks are not capped.

Joe Nocera recently reported in the New York Times that natural-gas fracking is inevitable and just needs a few tweaks, like plugging methane leaks from wells to make it a viable method of discovery. However, even the smallest methane leaks could be environmentally damaging, according to new research.

Using hydraulic fracturing to extract gas from shale rock often causes some methane to leak out. When released into the air, methane is around 21 times as powerful as carbon dioxide. If enough of this methane escapes, then natural gas could, conceivably, cause as much global warming as coal does.

A recent paper, led by Tom Wigley of the National Center for Atmospheric Research, found that switching from coal to natural gas could, in some cases, prove worse for the planet if leakage rates are above that level. Identifying what level is unsafe is quite an arduous question, but official estimates state two per cent as being too much.

Posted by Lauren Steadman