Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Jasmin Cooper, Paul Balcombe, Adam Hawkes
Summary: Methane emissions from natural gas supply chains are a significant source of greenhouse gas emissions. This study estimates emissions variation and uncertainty, highlighting countries at risk of high emissions. The study also shows a high dependency on Tier 1 emission factors, indicating uncertainty and potential inaccuracies in emission accounting.
JOURNAL OF CLEANER PRODUCTION
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Tiago A. Morais, Neil A. Fleming, Dinu Attalage, Bernhard Mayer, K. U. Mayer, M. Cathryn Ryan
Summary: This study investigates the methane concentration and microbial community changes in groundwater around a leaking oil and gas well for at least two decades. The results show that free methane migrates dominantly in the groundwater flow direction and horizontally below fine-grained layers. Despite the high methane concentration in shallow groundwater, the study suggests limited impacts on the shallow subsurface.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2024)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Xiangang Xu, Xinyue Zhong, Jiankai Dong, Donglai Xie, Wanlu Lu
Summary: Methane is a significant greenhouse gas and its emissions from the natural gas sector are often underestimated. This study used a mass balance approach to quantify methane emissions during the installation of natural gas meters and found a fat tail distribution in the emissions. The total methane emissions in China were substantial, with the highest emissions concentrated in the southeast. This research fills a gap in measuring methane emissions across the natural gas chain in China and provides data to support reduction targets and technologies.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Louise A. Klotz, Oliver Sonnentag, Ziming Wang, Jonathan A. Wang, Mary Kang
Summary: Arctic-boreal regions are experiencing both natural and anthropogenic disturbances due to climate change and extensive oil and natural gas (OG) activities. We analyzed OG well databases in the NASA Arctic-Boreal Vulnerability Experiment's (ABoVE) Core Domain and found 242,007 OG wells drilled as of 2018, with the majority now inactive or abandoned. Annual drilling has significantly increased over the years, and OG wells underlain by permafrost accounted for a significant portion of anthropogenic methane emissions in Canada in 2018.
ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH LETTERS
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Sakineh Tavakkoli, Leyang Feng, Scot M. Miller, Sarah M. Jordaan
Summary: This study finds that recent efficiency improvements in gas-fired electricity generation make it a lower emissions option compared to coal, despite uncertainties in supply chain emissions.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Torsten Reinelt, Bernadette K. McCabe, Andrew Hill, Peter Harris, Craig Baillie, Jan Liebetrau
Summary: The key environmental sustainability requirement for treating organic waste through anaerobic digestion is to prevent unwanted methane emissions in the production chain whenever possible. This study in Australia identified and quantified emissions at two biogas plants and one landfill site, revealing leakages primarily on the digesters of biogas plants and emission hot spots on the surface cover of the landfill. The findings highlight the importance of addressing methane emissions to improve environmental sustainability in waste treatment facilities.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Maryann R. Sargent, Cody Floerchinger, Kathryn McKain, John Budney, Elaine W. Gottlieb, Lucy R. Hutyra, Joseph Rudek, Steven C. Wofsy
Summary: The top-down study on methane emissions from natural gas in the Boston urban region over 8 years showed no significant trend in the loss rate, with consumption-driven losses potentially accounting for missing emissions in inventories. Comparisons with estimates from six US cities suggest that distribution and end use losses from natural gas supply chain may contribute significantly to total emissions, indicating a need for future policy action.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
N. A. Fleming, T. A. Morais, K. U. Mayer, M. C. Ryan
Summary: The failure of well integrity can lead to the migration of natural gas, resulting in atmospheric greenhouse gas emissions and impacts on groundwater quality. This study found that gas emissions were mainly concentrated around the wellhead, influenced by various meteorological factors, while gas migration near the wellhead was primarily advective displacement.
ATMOSPHERIC POLLUTION RESEARCH
(2021)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Zachary D. Weller, Seongwon Im, Virginia Palacios, Emily Stuchiner, Joseph C. von Fischer
Summary: This study conducts an environmental justice analysis of natural gas leaks discovered using advanced leak detection technology in 13 U.S. metropolitan areas. The results show that leak densities are associated with an increasing percentage of people of color and a decreasing median household income. These patterns of infrastructure injustice persist even after accounting for housing age and the spatial structure of the data. The study also identifies actions that can be taken to improve the equity of local natural gas distribution systems.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Energy & Fuels
Jinrui Zhang, Hans Meerman, Rene Benders, Andre Faaij
Summary: The study found that from 2020 to 2050, China's NG infrastructure has the potential to provide low-carbon gases, significantly reducing greenhouse gas emissions and increasing China's short-term and long-term gas supply independence.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Daniel Zimmerle, Gerald Duggan, Timothy Vaughn, Clay Bell, Christopher Lute, Kristine Bennett, Yosuke Kimura, Felipe J. Cardoso-Saldana, David T. Allen
Summary: This study introduces a new temporally and spatially resolved inventory emission model (MEET) and applies it to compressor station emissions to investigate the discrepancy between inventory emission estimates and actual measurements. The results suggest that current measurement methods may underestimate uncertainties in emission estimates, while the use of MEET can better capture the temporal and spatial variation in observed emissions.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2022)
Article
Robotics
Muhammad Asif Arain, Victor Hernandez Bennetts, Erik Schaffernicht, Achim J. Lilienthal
Summary: Air pollution leads to millions of premature deaths annually and requires urgent monitoring systems. Mobile, autonomous monitoring provides higher spatial resolution and fast deployment. The Autonomous Remote Methane Explorer (ARMEx) equipped with remote gas sensor offers precise gas detection and distribution mapping.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ROBOTICS RESEARCH
(2021)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
James P. Williams, Sebastien Ars, Felix Vogel, Amara Regehr, Mary Kang
Summary: Rapidly reducing urban methane emissions is crucial for limiting climate change, and individual source measurements provide important details for developing effective mitigation strategies. A study in Montreal found that historic landfills, manholes, and natural gas distribution systems are significant sources of methane emissions.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Daniel Schiffner, Maik Kecinski, Sandeep Mohapatra
Summary: In Alberta, Canada, the number of leak incidents and unresolved leaks from temporarily plugged or suspended wells has increased from 1971 to 2019, along with a substantial rise in methane emissions per leak. Responsible policies can incentivize well owners to address these issues and support efforts to combat climate change.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Mustafa Tevfik Kartal, Serpil Kilic Depren, Fatih Ayhan
Summary: This study examines the impact and causality of disaggregated level energy consumption indicators on environmental quality, with a focus on Germany's dependence on Russia's natural gas supply. The empirical findings suggest that coal energy consumption is the most suitable alternative in the short term, while renewable energy consumption is the most suitable alternative in the long term. Nuclear energy consumption is not a viable alternative for Germany.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Oreane. Y. Edelenbosch, Luciana Miu, Julia Sachs, Adam Hawkes, Massimo Tavoni
Summary: This study analyzes cross-country household-level survey data to understand the heterogeneous choices in decarbonizing the building sector and highlights the importance of grounding agent-based models in empirical data to better understand energy transition dynamics.
Article
Thermodynamics
Diego Moya, Dennis Copara, Alex Borja, Cristian Perez, Prasad Kaparaju, Angel Perez-Navarro, Sara Giarola, Adam Hawkes
Summary: This study estimates the climatic, end-use demands, and socio-economic drivers of energy consumption in the residential sector of Ecuador at a high spatio-temporal resolution between 2010 and 2020. The research uses publicly available datasets to calculate seven energy consumption drivers for the residential sector of Ecuador.
ENERGY CONVERSION AND MANAGEMENT
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Jasmin Cooper, Luke Dubey, Semra Bakkaloglu, Adam Hawkes
Summary: This study estimates the emissions of H-2 supply chains for the first time and finds that the emission rates are comparable to methane emissions from natural gas supply, but the impact on global warming is much lower. The study highlights the critical importance of establishing mobile H-2 emission monitoring and reducing the uncertainty of H-2 climate forcing.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2022)
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Jasmin Cooper, Luke Dubey, Adam Hawkes
Summary: Negative emission technologies (NETs) are important for achieving net-zero and net negative emission goals, but their environmental impacts vary depending on the context. Different NETs have different environmental impacts, and the choice should be based on specific goals.
SUSTAINABLE PRODUCTION AND CONSUMPTION
(2022)
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Semra Bakkaloglu, Jasmin Cooper, Adam Hawkes
Summary: This study examines the impact of waste management strategies on methane emissions in the UK. It suggests that diverting biowaste from landfills to anaerobic digesters is effective, but not sufficient to eliminate emissions. Upgrading biogas into biomethane is the best option for climate change mitigation. Changing biowaste strategies can significantly reduce methane emissions, but achieving net-zero emissions requires minimizing emissions from treatment technologies.
JOURNAL OF CLEANER PRODUCTION
(2022)
Editorial Material
Environmental Sciences
Jasmin Cooper, Adam Hawkes
Summary: Phasing out carbon-intensive energy sources is crucial for meeting climate targets, but the role of natural gas is increasingly uncertain. All countries in the natural gas electricity value chain must make efforts to reduce emissions in order to achieve net-zero trajectory for natural gas electricity.
NATURE CLIMATE CHANGE
(2022)
Article
Energy & Fuels
Sara Giarola, Julia Sachs, Mayeul d'Avezac, Alexander Kell, Adam Hawkes
Summary: IAMs are essential for addressing climate change, but there is a strong need for more realistic and flexible tools in the modeling community. MUSE, an open-source framework, fills this gap by supporting flexible agent decision-making and providing more grounded climate change mitigation assessments.
ENERGY STRATEGY REVIEWS
(2022)
Article
Energy & Fuels
Yacob Mulugetta, Youba Sokona, Philipp A. Trotter, Samuel Fankhauser, Jessica Omukuti, Lucas Somavilla Croxatto, Bjarne Steffen, Meron Tesfamichael, Edo Abraham, Jean-Paul Adam, Lawrence Agbemabiese, Churchill Agutu, Mekalia Paulos Aklilu, Olakunle Alao, Bothwell Batidzirai, Getachew Bekele, Anteneh G. Dagnachew, Ogunlade Davidson, Fatima Denton, E. Ogheneruona Diemuodeke, Florian Egli, Eshetu Gebrekidan Gebresilassie, Mulualem Gebreslassie, Mamadou Goundiam, Haruna Kachalla Gujba, Yohannes Hailu, Adam D. Hawkes, Stephanie Hirmer, Helen Hoka, Mark Howells, Abdulrasheed Isah, Daniel Kammen, Francis Kemausuor, Ismail Khennas, Wikus Kruger, Ifeoma Malo, Linus Mofor, Minette Nago, Destenie Nock, Chukwumerije Okereke, S. Nadia Ouedraogo, Benedict Probst, Maria Schmidt, Tobias S. Schmidt, Carlos Shenga, Mohamed Sokona, Jan Christoph Steckel, Sebastian Sterl, Bernard Tembo, Julia Tomei, Peter Twesigye, Jim Watson, Harald Winkler, Abdulmutalib Yussuff
Summary: Aligning development and climate goals in Africa requires country-specific approaches to energy system development, taking into account the unique starting points and uncertainties of each country. Policy, finance, and research recommendations are provided to identify suitable energy pathways for development and enable their implementation.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Luke Dubey, Jasmin Cooper, Iain Staffell, Adam Hawkes, Paul Balcombe
Summary: This paper investigates the use of satellite data to improve methane inventories for natural gas production in the Montney basin region of Canada and finds that there are significant spatial limitations in using satellite data to validate bottom-up inventories.
ATMOSPHERIC ENVIRONMENT-X
(2023)
Review
Energy & Fuels
Marc E. J. Stettler, Mino Woo, Daniel Ainalis, Pablo Achurra-Gonzalez, Jamie Speirs, Jasmin Cooper, Dong-Ha Lim, Nigel Brandon, Adam Hawkes
Summary: It has been suggested that using liquefied natural gas as a fuel source for heavy goods vehicles could lead to reduced greenhouse gas emissions. However, there has been little comparative analysis across various studies. This review provides a comprehensive examination of the well-to-wheel lifecycle emissions of liquefied natural gas for heavy goods vehicles in comparison to diesel. The primary factors affecting the emissions are the fuel efficiency of natural gas engines relative to diesel and methane leakage across the supply chain.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Dirk-Jan van de Ven, Shivika Mittal, Ajay Gambhir, Robin D. Lamboll, Haris Doukas, Sara Giarola, Adam Hawkes, Konstantinos Koasidis, Alexandre C. Koberle, Haewon McJeon, Sigit Perdana, Glen P. Peters, Joeri Rogelj, Ida Sognnaes, Marc Vielle, Alexandros Nikas
Summary: The COP26 Glasgow process led to stronger emissions reduction targets for 2030 and net-zero pledges for 2050-2070 by many countries. However, the impact on future warming remains uncertain. A study using four integrated assessment models (IAMs) analyzed national policies and pledges to assess CO2 emission trajectories in the near- and long-term, as well as their temperature implications. The results showed that the addition of long-term pledges can lead to emissions trajectories compatible with keeping warming well below 2 degrees C, but feasibility concerns exist regarding the cost of mitigation and deployment of technologies and measures.
NATURE CLIMATE CHANGE
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Ajay Gambhir, Shivika Mittal, Robin D. Lamboll, Neil Grant, Dan Bernie, Laila Gohar, Adam Hawkes, Alexandre Koeberle, Joeri Rogelj, Jason A. Lowe
Summary: Understanding the potential adjustments of 1.5 degrees C pathways in response to new adverse information is crucial for planning resilient pathways. This study uses an integrated assessment model to explore pathway adjustments based on new information. The results show that the 1.5 degrees C target can still be achieved with a wide range of technologies and measures, even in the presence of adverse information. However, when multiple adverse information are present simultaneously, emissions reductions will increase and mitigation costs will rise significantly.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2023)
Article
Economics
Adam Hawkes, Mirabelle Muuls, James W. Hamilton
Summary: International Oil Companies (IOCs) can contribute to the investment required for the energy transition to a low carbon future. IOCs are currently exploring the incorporation of renewables into their core business and prefer to invest in competitive energy markets. Policies and market rules that support this direction would encourage both near-and long-term investment by IOCs into low carbon energy.
Review
Environmental Sciences
Jasmin Cooper, Luke Dubey, Adam Hawkes
Summary: This paper assesses the potential and limitations of satellite technology in emissions detection, reconciliation, and reporting in the oil and gas industry. It highlights the role of satellites in verifying emission estimates and tracking the achievement of emission targets. However, limitations such as geographic restrictions and uncertainty in emission estimates need to be addressed.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE-ATMOSPHERES
(2022)
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Semra Bakkaloglu, Jasmin Cooper, Adam Hawkes
Summary: This study systematically analyzes the methane emissions at each key stage of the biomethane and biogas supply chain using a Monte Carlo approach. The top 5% of emitters are found to be responsible for 62% of the emissions, with the digestate handling stage being the main source of methane release. Effective methane-mitigation strategies need to be designed and implemented at each supply chain stage to ensure the climate benefits of biomethane and biogas production.