Advances in greenhouse gas measurement, including fugitive methane
Methane is a potent greenhouse gas that is commonly found in the environment. It is generated by several natural sources including wetland soils and sediment, as well as in the digestive system of animals such as cows, sheep and goats.
Methane can also be generated by industrial activity, for example venting of gas from coal mines, gas processing facilities, and surface emissions from waste facilities and sewage. These emissions sources are known as fugitive emissions.
Methane emissions are responsible for around 30% of the rise in global temperatures since the Industrial Revolution. Significant reductions in methane emissions are important to limiting global warming.
The EPA is taking action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, including methane emissions. Managing methane emissions is a key priority for the EPA to help meet national and state emissions reduction targets because methane can warm the Earth faster than carbon dioxide. This means that even relatively minor reductions in methane emissions can help make important progress towards our net zero targets.
Our NSW State of the Environment 2024 report describes the effects of greenhouse gas emissions on our climate, as well as how climate change already affects, or will affect, all aspects of our environment.
The EPA's Climate Change Action Plan sets out the suite of actions the EPA will implement over the term of the plan and beyond, in partnership, collaboration and consultation with key NSW agencies, experts and other stakeholders. Better regulation of fugitive methane emissions is a high priority for us and will significantly contribute to NSW achieving the objectives of the NSW Net Zero Plan.
Our regulatory opportunity
The EPA is developing a phased regulatory approach to reduce fugitive methane emissions released by EPA licensed facilities. Fugitive methane is emitted by industrial activities, such as the coal mining and waste sectors. These emissions can occur intermittently and at varying magnitudes over space and time, making it difficult to consistently and accurately detect and quantify them. This complicates mitigation efforts as facilities may not know how much they are emitting or how much their emissions are being reduced. Improving our capacity to monitor methane emissions will play a crucial role in our mitigation action.
Research into methane emissions measurement
In 2016, we commissioned the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) to study fugitive methane emissions in 4 regions in NSW. The study helped identify emission sources and informed EPA’s regulatory priorities.
In mid-June 2023, UNSW conducted car-based greenhouse gas surveys to measure the concentrations of methane, carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide along public roads in the vicinity of Eastern Creek. The summary, Greenhouse gas survey Western Sydney 2023, provides an overview of the methods and findings. The report, Measurements of the Atmospheric Concentration of Methane, Carbon Dioxide, and Carbon Monoxide: Eastern Creek, Horsley Park, Minchinbury, and Arndell Park (PDF 43MB), provides details of the survey.
In 2024, we commissioned CSIRO to conduct a review of methane measurement technologies for fugitive methane emissions. The aim of the review was to provide independent expert advice to the EPA regarding the availability, feasibility and uses of facility level fugitive methane monitoring, to improve quantification of emissions.
The key findings of the CSIRO review, including priority sources of methane emissions, technologies for monitoring methane emissions, and the suitability of methods for different sectors are presented on our webpage Measurement of fugitive methane emissions.