Texas produces twice as much methane as better regulated neighbor, study finds

A flare burns off methane and other hydrocarbons as oil pumpjacks operate in the Permian basin in Midland, Texas. Photograph: David Goldman/AP

Oil and gas production in Texas is spewing out double the rate of methane, a powerful greenhouse gas, than in the more regulated state of New Mexico, new satellite data shared with the Guardian shows, prompting calls for tougher curbs of “super-emitter” sites that risk tipping the world into climate breakdown.

Satellite imaging of methane leaks across the Permian basin, a vast geological feature at the heart of the US oil and gas drilling industry, show that sites in Texas have emitted double the amount of the gas than in New Mexico, per unit of production, since 2019.