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The Methane Problem

 

Preventing methane emissions is regarded as the single most effective strategy to limit global warming over the next several decades

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Global Warming Accelerator

  • Methane is 28 times more powerful than CO2 at trapping heat over a 100-year timespan and is rising faster than any other greenhouse gas.

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Pre-Industrial Levels Tripled

  • The concentration of methane in the atmosphere is now over two-and-a half times greater than pre-industrial levels.

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Global Pledge, Bold Cuts

  • Given its impact, 150 countries have signed a bold Global Methane Pledge to deliver 30% cuts from 2020 levels by 2040
  • Leading organizations around the world are doubling down to prevent methane emissions: Global-Methane Initiate (GMI), Global Methane Hub (GMH), International Energy Agency (IEA), and the World Bank.

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Prevention Saves Lives

  • Fulfilling the Global Methane Pledge has the potential to reduce warming by at least 0.2° C by 2050 and prevent annually 26 million tons of crop losses, 255,000 premature deaths, and 775,000 asthma-related hospitalizations. 
  • The UN Environmental Programme (UNEP) has highlighted that methane mitigation can be more cost-effective than carbon dioxide (CO2) 

Preventing Methane Emissions by Plugging Orphan Wells

Orphaned well Lousisiana Department of Natural resources

Background

An orphan well is an unplugged, inactive oil or gas well lacking a responsible operator to ensure its safe maintenance or remediation. Left untended, these wells become the responsibility of regulatory agencies; yet limited resource often lead to long periods of neglect. This neglect allows harmful pollutants to leak into the environment, damaging soil, damaging ecosystems, and risking public health in nearby communities.


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Hidden Risks

At VitalEco, we recognize the critical challenge these orphan wells present. According to the U.S. Department of the Interior, millions of Americans live within close proximity to orphaned wells, often unaware of the hidden risks. These wells not only release dangerous methane gases but also litter the landscapes with deteriorating equipment, degrade local ecosystems, and pose substantial health hazards. VitalEco is part of the solution.


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Scope of Problem

The scope of the orphan well issue is vast: the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency estimates millions of inactive wells emit millions of metric tons of CO2 equivalent into the atmosphere each year. At Vital Eco, we are committed to reducing this legacy pollution by plugging orphan wells, thereby preventing methane emissions and restoring ecosystems, ultimately contributing to a cleaner, safer environment for future generations.


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Our Solution

VitalEco's comprehensive, end-to-end system provides turn-key projects to sponsors based on their unique Scope 1, 2, and 3 goals. Our team works with your business to identify and match specific co-benefit requirements such as greenhouse gas reduction, biodiversity, protecting heritage, restoration, local jobs creation, and community outreach


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How it Works

The VitalEco team looks for opportunities to create "triple plays" that benefit the environment, project sponsors, and impacted communities. We organize the timely execution of project certification, verification, and serialization.

The VitalEco team works with project sponsors to orchestrate successful sustainability programs and projects using standard operating procedures and practices, industry leading methodologies and measurement technologies, and collaborative tools.


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Get Started

Throughout the project development process, VitalEco builds win-win partnerships with sponsors, local service providers, communities, regulatory agencies, non-profit organizations, and technology solution providers.

Contact the VitalEco team today for an assessment of your unique Scope 1, 2, and 3 carbon emission goals so we can assist you in your mission toward becoming carbon neutral.


Leading organizations around the world are doubling down to prevent methane emissions across several pathways.   Click on the links to the resources below for more information.

Pledge
IEA
World Bank
Methane Initiative
Methane Hub
IPCC