Energy development gets a pass, kind of, for global methane rise

Global methane emissions from fossil fuel development are up to 60 percent greater than estimated by previous studies, according to a new report.  But the analysis shows that fossil fuel facilities are not directly responsible for the increased rate of global atmospheric methane emissions measured between 2007 and 2013 - estimated at some 28 million tons per year. The study, led by scientists from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences (CIRES), found that fossil fuel activities contribute between 132 million and 165 million tons of the 623 million tons, or about 20-25 percent, of methane emitted by all sources every year.