• News
  • Film and TV
  • Music
  • Tech
  • Features
  • Celebrity
  • Politics
  • Weird
  • Community
  • Advertise
  • Terms
  • Privacy & Cookies
  • LADbible Group
  • LADbible
  • SPORTbible
  • GAMINGbible
  • Tyla
  • UNILAD Tech
  • FOODbible
  • License Our Content
  • About Us & Contact
  • Jobs
  • Latest
  • Topics A-Z
  • Authors
Facebook
Instagram
X
Threads
TikTok
YouTube
Submit Your Content
Gas leaking from damaged pipeline could be biggest burst of potent greenhouse gas on record

Home> News

Published 03:59 29 Sep 2022 GMT+1

Gas leaking from damaged pipeline could be biggest burst of potent greenhouse gas on record

The leaks may pump more gas into the Baltic Sea and atmosphere than the Aliso Canyon disaster.

Rachel Lang

Rachel Lang

Methane leaking from the damaged Nord Stream pipelines may be the biggest biggest burst of the potent greenhouse gas on record.

The update comes hours after the European Union warned of the strongest possible response as the two pipeline leaks from Russia to Europe appear to have been sabotaged.

However, the EU has stopped short of accusing Vladimir Putin and Russia of the incident.

Advert

The alleged 'sabotage' that took place on the Nord Stream gas pipeline caused a 3,000ft-wide bubble plume and sent gas prices higher once again.

The leaks may pump volumes of methane gas into the Baltic Sea and atmosphere that would dwarf the Aliso Canyon disaster, which is the largest known terrestrial release of methane in US history.

On behalf of the Associated Press, two scientists have analysed official worst case scenario estimates provided by the Danish government, which is a massive 778 million cubic metres of gas.

Their calculations indicate that the Danish government estimation equates to roughly half a million metric tons of methane.

Advert

The Aliso Canyon disaster released 90-100,000 metric tons into the atmosphere.

Stanford University climate scientist Rob Jackson, one of the scientists that investigated reports on behalf of AP, said: "Whoever ordered this should be prosecuted for war crimes and go to jail."

Chemical engineer Andrew Baxter, who has worked in the offshore oil and gas industry, gave AP a more conservative estimate.

However, Baxter's estimate was still more than double the Aliso Canyon disaster.

Advert

"That’s one thing that is consistent with these estimates,” he told AP. "It’s catastrophic for the climate."

Danish officials claim that the amount of gas released is already the equivalent of one third of Denmark’s total annual greenhouse gas emissions.

The Danish PM believes the action was 'deliberate', adding that the gas pipeline would be out of action for a week.

Advert

Mette Frederiksen said: "It is now the clear assessment by authorities that these are deliberate actions. It was not an accident. There is no information yet to indicate who may be behind this action."

Ukraine has even gone as far as accusing Russia of a 'terrorist attack', by Kyiv's presidential advisor Mykhailo Podolyak.

Sweden's prime minister, Magdalena Andersson, also believes Russia is in the wrong: "We have Swedish intelligence, but we have also received information in our contacts with Denmark, and based on this concluded that this is probably a deliberate act. It is probably a matter of sabotage," she said.

"It is not a matter of an attack on Swedish or Danish territory.

Advert

"But that said, the government is taking what happened very seriously, not the least in light of the current security situation in our close proximity."

The Kremlin has hit back on claims by large parts of Europe, with spokesperson Dmitry Peskov describing the accusations of sabotage 'predictable, stupid and absurd'.

Featured Image Credit: forsvaretdk/Twitter.

Topics: World News, News, Russia, Ukraine, Environment

Rachel Lang
Rachel Lang

Advert

Advert

Advert

Choose your content:

10 hours ago
11 hours ago
  • 10 hours ago

    Surprising reason man has been fined $100 repeatedly for giving out free water during heatwave

    David Martin is at war with his Homeowners Association over cold water

    News
  • 11 hours ago

    Boy, 7, with autism died weeks before he was reported missing as police give disturbing update

    Hershall Creachbaum was in the custody of his mom when he disappeared, with his body found the same day a kidnapping report was filed

    News
  • 11 hours ago

    Suki Waterhouse hospitalized after 'wearing tight pants that caused a hernia'

    Suki posted a snap from her hospital bed, with fans pointing out one 'diabolical' detail in the pic

    Celebrity
  • 11 hours ago

    Woman who murdered and lived with her dead parents for 4 years reveals why she did it in harrowing letter

    Virginia McCullough was sentenced to 36 years behind bars for the brutal murder of her parents

    Film & TV
  • Captain of cargo ship that collided with oil tanker and burst into flames identified as Russian national
  • NASA may have just encountered major new issue after worries of ‘catastrophic failure’ when ISS discovered to be leaking
  • Russia responds after Trump threatened to 'bomb the s*** out of Moscow' in leaked audio tapes
  • Study gives insight into exactly how the world could potentially end but there could be good news