To combat global warming, the Biden administration has unveiled a comprehensive plan to cut methane emissions, which is more potent than carbon dioxide in the short term, according to Associated Press. Over 100 years, methane has shown that it has 25 times the climate-warming potential of carbon dioxide, and it is responsible for 10 percent of the United States’ overall climate change contribution.
US President Joe Biden delivers a speech on stage during a meeting at the COP26 UN Climate Change Conference in Glasgow, Scotland, on November 1, 2021.To combat global warming, the Biden administration has unveiled a comprehensive plan to cut methane emissions, which is more potent than carbon dioxide in the short term. (Photo: Brendan Smialowski / AFP/ NPR)
United Nations Climate Summit
At a United Nations climate summit in Glasgow this week, President Joe Biden is attempting to persuade other countries to reduce their use of fossil fuels, which is causing the planet’s temperature to soar to dangerously high levels.
According to The Hill, President Joe Biden faces intense pressure both internationally and domestically to show that the United States is serious about mitigating climate change. The nation has pumped the most greenhouse gasses into the atmosphere. As part of his summit commitments, President Joe Biden said he would work with the EU and other countries to cut global methane emissions by 30 percent by 2030.
The EPA plans to limit the amount of methane emitted from the approximately one million oil and gas rigs already in operation across the country, as per the New York Times. The Trump administration revoked federal rules intended to prevent methane leaks from oil and gas wells constructed after 2015, and now President Joe Biden wants to help them get back on track.
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President Joe Biden attends the opening session of the COP26 U.N. Climate Summit, Monday, Nov. 1, 2021, in Glasgow, Scotland. (Photo: Erin Schaff/The New York Times via AP, Pool)
Reduce Methane Emissions
The White House stated that the proposed EPA regulations would reduce methane emissions from polluting sources by 75 percent. Smog-forming compounds and air toxics would be reduced as a result of the actions, according to The Hill.
Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Michael Regan stated that a new Clean Air Act rule would significantly reduce methane emissions and other pollutants. The regulation would be stricter than a previous Obama-era standard that was implemented in 2016.
“As global leaders convene at this pivotal moment in Glasgow for COP26, it is now abundantly clear that America is back and leading by example in confronting the climate crisis with bold ambition,” Regan said
Methane reduction, according to environmental groups, is the most practical and cost-effective action that can be taken to slow the rate of global warming. Most of the nearly 900,000 well sites in the United States are not regulated under the current rules for methane emissions from oil and gas wells.
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