Study: Global fossil fuel emissions underestimated

London: Global levels of fossil fuels ethane and propane in the atmosphere have been underestimated by more than 50 per cent, a study has found. These hydrocarbons are particularly harmful in large cities where, through chemical reactions with emissions from cars, they form ozone — a greenhouse gas which is a key component of smog and directly linked to increases in mortality. Ethane and propane escape into the air from leaks during natural gas extraction and distribution, including from fracking — the process of drilling down into the earth and fracturing rock to extract shale gas. The new study involving scientists at the University of York in the UK shows that global fossil fuel emissions of these hydrocarbons have been underestimated and are a factor of 2- 3 times higher than previously thought. The researchers are now calling for further investigation into fossil fuel emissions of methane. “We know that a major source of ethane and propane in the atmosphere is from “fugitive” or unintentional escaping emissions during fossil fuel extraction and distribution,” said professor Lucy Carpenter from the University of York. “If ethane and propane are being released at greater rates than we thought, then we also need to carefully reevaluate how much of the recent growth of methane in the atmosphere may also have come from oil and natural gas development,” said Carpenter, co- author of the study. — PTI