Recent statistics estimate that the U.S. emitted 6.6 billion metric tons of greenhouse gases in 2019. Carbon emissions accounted for a significant percentage of the greenhouse gases at 80%, followed by methane (10%), nitrous oxide (7%), and other greenhouse gases (3%).
The biggest sources of carbon emissions in the U.S. are the oil and gas industry. Carbon dioxide causes global warming by trapping heat in the atmosphere, which leads to extreme weather, food supply disruptions, and other effects of climate change.
As the impacts of climate change become increasingly apparent, the need to track and measure carbon emissions becomes more urgent by the day. This article looks at how international environmental agencies are monitoring carbon emissions.
Carbon footprint refers to the total amount of greenhouse gases, including CO2 and methane, generated by a company's action. Emissions tracking is a way for environmental agencies to gauge a company's operational efficiency and determine its sustainability by tracking the greenhouse gas emissions generated by its operations. Tracking provides greater transparency and accountability across sourcing, production, logistics, operations, and a product's life cycle.
Carbon tracking refers to monitoring a specific activity at a particular time to learn how much carbon dioxide or methane it produces. The biggest source of carbon emissions is from human activities, such as burning fossil fuels and oil and gas industry activities. Since carbon dioxide is undoubtedly the greenhouse gas emitted in the largest quantity and methane is the most potent greenhouse gas, continuous monitoring of carbon emissions is integral to reducing emissions and slowing climate change.
The following are the ways environmental agencies track carbon emissions:
Agencies often use satellites to monitor carbon dioxide concentrations from orbit. NASA's Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) and Japan's Greenhouse Gases Observing Satellite (GOSAT) are two examples of such satellites. China also launched its own satellite to monitor greenhouse gas concentrations on earth, called the TanSat. These satellites provide valuable data about a specific company or country's carbon emissions at any given time.
ETSWAP is an emissions monitoring and reporting system used in Ireland and the U.K. It allows relevant agencies and organizations to monitor, verify, and report carbon emissions as required by the European Union Emissions Trading Scheme.
CMS is a climate research program that uses instruments in satellites and airplanes to measure carbon dioxide and methane emissions. The system provides data to the U.S. and other countries that helps track the progress of individual nations regarding their Paris climate emissions cuts agreements.
FMS is a system that Germany uses to monitor records and calculate annual emissions reports per plant subject for the European Union Emissions Trading Scheme.
CARMA is an online system and database developed by the Center for Global Development. It provides carbon emissions data of over 50,000 power plants and 4,000 power companies worldwide. It also includes carbon emissions from several countries, states, and localities.
As the world focuses on effective ways to reduce carbon emissions and slow down climate change, innovative digitization tools designed to monitor and measure emissions at the oil and gas company level are emerging as a crucial tool to boost the fight against carbon emissions.
Digitization tools like those offered by Aegex technologies integrate modern technologies, such as the Industrial Internet of Things (IoT), predictive maintenance, and automated asset management. This helps oil and gas companies carry out predictive maintenance that reduces leaks while improving the safety of the work environment.
Now is the best time for the oil and gas players to act if the world is to limit the temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius and meet the most recent goals set at COP26. Aegex's certified intrinsic and safe smart devices can help companies in the oil and gas industry meet their emissions targets. The devices feature IoT technology designed to help oil and gas companies monitor their emissions effectively and take appropriate and timely action to reduce emissions.
Aegex tools offer real-time communication and data access in hazardous environments to enable companies to make data-driven decisions on tackling carbon emissions and improving the safety of the workers and the community. Contact us today to learn more.
