Fossil fuel companies hide methane burning from environmental satellites

The powerful satellites that act as environmental guards may be being deceived and the “venting” and “flaring” values ​​may be below reality. Behind these “schemes” are fossil fuel companies that hide the burning of methane beneath huge structures. Camouflage, pollute and deceive!

Fossil fuels in the environmental cat and mouse game

For decades, fossil fuel companies have attempted to deceive the public into believing that methane, marketed under the misleading name “natural gas,” is a clean “bridge” fuel for the future.

Although it is true that its combustion is cleaner than that of coal, methane is 80 times more destructive to the atmosphere than carbon dioxide. Although humanity has rigorously monitored the so-called Keeling Curve, which records the increase in carbon dioxide in the atmosphere for decades, it is only recently that the amount of methane entering the atmosphere has begun to be monitored.

Technological progress and new challenges

Thanks to technological advances, we currently have satellites capable of detecting unburned methane released at drilling sites, distribution lines and inside buildings, revealing that these emissions are much higher than previously known.

Faced with this, the industry has shown itself to be indifferent, treating these emissions as a simple cost of doing business, despite the fact that its product contributes significantly to global warming.

There are two main methods for eliminating excess methane at the wellhead: releasing it directly into the atmosphere, known as “venting”, or burning it, known as “flaring”. Burning converts methane into carbon dioxide and other waste products, but it is visible by satellite. So companies began building large structures over burning operations to hide them from satellite view.

Impact and international regulation

According to a report in The Guardian, technology designed to reduce methane emissions is preventing scientists from accurately detecting greenhouse gases and other pollutants in industrial facilities that burn gas. This fact has been documented in countries such as the USA, the United Kingdom, Germany and Norway.

The World Bank and the European Union, along with other regulators, have been using satellites for years to detect and document gas flaring, urging energy companies to capture the gas rather than burning or venting it.

Despite these efforts and initiatives such as Routine Zero Burning by 2030, established during the Paris climate conference, “closed burning” has started to appear, using closed burners that hide the flame and are less efficient than open burning.

In the example shown in the image below, it can be seen, in the first image, on the left side, taken in 2016, that this refinery was routinely burning. Then, in the image captured in 2018, the burning structure is now hidden by a chimney that hides the burning.

The current cat and mouse game between fossil fuel companies and regulators persists.

While governments try to reduce emissions for the good of society, fossil fuel companies continue to devise ways to evade these regulations.

This conflict highlights the critical importance of developing stricter policies and advanced monitoring methods to ensure a more sustainable future that is less dependent on fossil fuels.

The question that remains is: When will this madness end? Perhaps only when the last drop of oil, methane or coal has been extracted from the Earth.