As consumers around the world tighten their belts in the face of rising inflation and energy prices, the global oil and gas industry is letting enough natural gas to power Japan, South Korea and Australia for a year escape—literally—into thin air.

在全球消费者因通胀和能源价格上涨而勒紧腰带之际，全球石油和天然气行业却让足够日本、韩国和澳大利亚使用一年的天然气消散（字面意义上的）于无形之中。



The International Energy Agency recently reported that the oil and gas industry loses 120 billion cubic meters of methane to leaks and intentional releases, while another 150 billion cubic meters is flared off because operators haven't built the infrastructure to bring it to market. With war continuing in the Middle East, the IEA concluded that the world could save 200 billion cubic meters a year—a volume exceeding the total natural gas that moved through the Strait of Hormuz in 2025.

国际能源署最近报告称，石油和天然气行业因泄漏和故意排放损失了1200亿立方米的甲烷，同时另有1500亿立方米因运营商尚未建设将其输送到市场的基础设施而被白白烧掉。 由于中东战事持续，国际能源署得出结论，全球每年可节省2000亿立方米——这一数字超过了2025年通过霍尔木兹海峡的天然气总量。

Letting gas vanish is an expensive inefficiency. From the manufacturing hubs of Asia to the industrial centers of Europe, the high cost of energy is acting as a stealth tax on everything from groceries to home heating.

让天然气消失是一种代价高昂的低效行为。 从亚洲的制造业中心到欧洲的工业中心，高昂的能源成本正像一种隐性税，影响着从食品杂货到家庭供暖的一切。

Wasted natural gas is also damaging the climate. Unburned gas consists primarily of methane, a potent greenhouse pollutant. When released into the atmosphere, it has more than 80 times the 20-year warming power of carbon dioxide.

浪费的天然气也对气候造成破坏。 未燃烧的天然气主要成分是甲烷，这是一种强效的温室污染物。 当它被释放到大气中时，其20年内的暖化能力是二氧化碳的80倍以上。

The solutions are straightforward. Oil and gas companies should tighten valves, close hatches, replace worn and faulty equipment, ensure equipment is well maintained, end routine flaring, and track emissions to know how much gas is escaping from where. These fixes often require only modest capital. In many instances, the captured gas provides a return on investment that can offset the initial costs. According to the IEA, around 70% of fossil-fuel methane emissions could be reduced with current technologies—more than half of it at zero net cost.

解决方案是直截了当的。 石油和天然气公司应拧紧阀门、关闭舱口、更换磨损和有故障的设备、确保设备得到良好维护、结束常规燃烧，并追踪排放以了解有多少天然气从何处泄漏。 这些修复措施通常只需要适度的资本投入。 在许多情况下，捕获的天然气带来的投资回报足以抵消初始成本。 根据国际能源署的数据，现有技术可以减少约70%的化石燃料甲烷排放——其中超过一半可以实现零净成本。

Investors are eyeing the opportunity as well. At a recent Group of Seven meeting, Nordea Asset Management pushed for clear, stable methane policies, while Pimco called for capital to fund abatement. Multilateral institutions are also stepping in: The World Bank recently approved a $10.6 million grant for Uzbekistan's national oil company to repair leaks across its aging transmission network.

投资者也在关注这一机会。 在最近的一次七国集团会议上，北欧资产管理公司推动制定明确、稳定的甲烷政策，而太平洋投资管理公司则呼吁提供资金支持减排。 多边机构也在介入：世界银行最近批准了一笔1060万美元的赠款，用于帮助乌兹别克斯坦国家石油公司修复其老化的输气网络中的泄漏点。

Companies must pursue rigorous emissions measurement and credible mitigation plans that treat gas waste as lost revenue. To accelerate these projects, the natural-gas industry can use public and private financing. Investors should make financing methane reductions a priority, consistent with the consensus of nearly 200 countries at the 2023 United Nations Climate Change Conference in Dubai.

企业必须进行严格的排放测量并制定可信的减排计划，将天然气浪费视为收入的损失。 为了加速这些项目，天然气行业可以利用公共和私人融资。 投资者应将资助甲烷减排作为优先事项，这与2023年在迪拜举行的联合国气候变化大会上近200个国家达成的共识一致。

Governments, financial institutions and purchasers of gas should align policy, finance and market demand to address the problem of gas waste. There is a lot to be learned from the evolution of offshore energy safety and transport, where rigorous zero-harm protocols transformed oil spills from a frequent occurrence into a rare failure.

政府、金融机构和天然气买家应协调政策、融资和市场需求，以解决天然气浪费问题。 从海上能源安全和运输的发展历程中可以学到很多，那里严格的“零伤害”规程将石油泄漏从频繁发生转变为罕见的失败事件。

By treating methane waste with the same gravity as a fire or a blowout, the industry can eliminate a major liability, addressing the world's immediate energy needs efficiently and responsibly.

通过将甲烷浪费视为与火灾或井喷同等严重的问题，该行业可以消除一项重大隐患，从而高效且负责任地满足全球当前的能源需求。

素材来源：iYuba

本文来自公众微信号：英语阅读EnglishDaily