UN flags 127 major climate-warming methane plumes this year

FILE PHOTO: A methane collecting dome that covers one of Airoso Circle A Dairy's waste collecting ponds is shown in Pixley, California, U.S., October 2, 2019. Picture taken October 2, 2019. REUTERS/Mike Blake//File Photo

DUBAI (Reuters) - A United Nations-led effort to use space satellites to detect methane leaks from fossil fuel infrastructure has alerted governments to 127 major methane plumes across four continents since its launch at the start of this year.

Methane is a potent greenhouse gas, with 80 times the warming power of carbon dioxide over a 20-year period. Such emissions from the burning of fossil fuels so far have driven about a third of global warming.