Media Contact
The U.N. has released report from its initiative to track global methane emissions, including data from more than 150 major energy companies.
Robert Howarth
David R. Atkinson Professor of Ecology and Environmental Biology
Robert Howarth, a professor of ecology and environmental biology at Cornell University, studies the greenhouse gas footprint of methane extracted from shale formations and liquified natural gas.
Howarth says:
"Methane has caused 30% of all global warming since the 1800s, and is likely responsible for 40% or more of warming over the past two decades. Methane concentrations in the atmosphere are rising rapidly, and although scientists continue to debate all the causes, my research suggests that up to half of the increase in methane in the 21st Century is due to the development of shale gas and oil in the United States.
“Perhaps surprisingly to most people, oil and gas development has increased dramatically in recent years in the U.S., even while rates have been flat or declining in most other countries, and the U.S. is now the largest producer of both oil and gas globally, and the largest exporter of liquefied natural gas (LNG).
“Our research from 2024 showed the greenhouse gas footprint of these LNG exports is larger than for any other fossil fuel, including coal."
