United States and China Methane Emissions: Review, Contrast and
Opportunities for Measurement Improvement
Abstract
Methane mitigation, especially in the near-term, is critical for meeting
global climate goals. The U.S. and China, as two of the largest global
methane emitters, will play a significant role in global mitigation
efforts through national methane emissions reduction, as well as by
collaborating on key methane topics, as outlined in recent joint
statements issued by both countries. Current methane emission estimates
are highly uncertain, given that methane emission factors (i.e. the
emissions intensity of different activities) are highly dependent on
local conditions. This analysis evaluated around 50 estimates of methane
emissions in the U.S. and China across all major sectors to identify
areas of uncertainty and highlight opportunities for cross-country
collaboration. Shared sources of emissions with high uncertainty include
waste and livestock emissions, as well as abandoned fossil production
sites (coal mines and oil wells), which present opportunities for
knowledge sharing and joint leadership. Key areas for collaboration
include improving data collection, monitoring and availability to
develop more detailed emission factors that take into account local
conditions and temporal sources of emissions. The U.S. and China can
jointly collaborate on developing a transparent, multi-scale approach to
emissions inventory development and mechanism for integrating multiple
methodologies into national emissions estimates, to improve accuracy of
emissions estimates and better inform mitigation strategies and policy
discussions.