FlareNet Network Director, Professor Matthew Johnson provided a research seminar to delegates from the World Bank in Washington, D.C. on November 20, 2018. Johnson’s research 
focused on mitigating methane and black carbon emissions from upstream oil and gas developments. Both methane and black carbon are short-lived climate pollutants (SLCPs), such that reducing source emissions offers the opportunity for immediate term climate benefits in stark contrast to the challenges of CO2 mitigation.
Measurements from an array of techniques and researchers have consistently shown higher methane emissions than anticipated by current inventories, and hint at a range of measurement, reporting, and regulatory challenges. Measuring Methane news story
Johnson’s research presentation underscored the need to treat flare and vent mitigation holistically – a focus on venting or flaring alone is likely to have unintended consequences (i.e. reduced venting via increased flaring). The seminar also discussed the increasingly important role of black carbon in international emission reduction agreements, climate science, and health effects and how this can be a lever to drive mitigation.
Carleton’s Energy and Emission’s Research Lab (EERL) and the FlareNet Network continue to benefit from a strong research partnership with the World Bank’s – Global Gas Flaring Reduction Partnership program. This research partnership has supported various international field research expeditions that have led to innovative research publications.
Further Information – Research Publication
- D.R. Tyner, M.R. Johnson* (2018), A Techno-Economic Analysis of Methane Mitigation Potential from Reported Venting at Oil Production Sites in Alberta, Environmental Science & Technology, in press (doi: 10.1021/acs.est.8b01345)
- M.R. Johnson*, D.R. Tyner, S. Conley, S. Schwietzke, D. Zavala-Araiza (2017) Comparisons of Airborne Measurements and Inventory Estimates of Methane Emissions in the Alberta Upstream Oil and Gas Sector, Environmental Science & Technology, 51(21):13008-13017. (doi: 10.1021/acs.est.7b03525)
- B. M. Conrad, M.R. Johnson* (2017) Field Measurements of Black Carbon Yields from Flares, Environmental Science & Technology, 51(3):1893-1900 (doi: 10.1021/acs.est.7b03525)