Comprehensive Interdisciplinary Research Efforts Needed To Develop Guidelines For GHG Reporting - Academician

By Siti Radziah Hamzah

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 10 (Bernama) -- A comprehensive interdisciplinary research effort between the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability, government agencies, industrial sectors and research institutes can play a significant role in developing localised guidelines for greenhouse gas (GHG) reporting. 

According to a joint research by Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) and Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM), the initiative could be achieved by promoting stakeholder interaction.

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The research titled ‘Analysing Methane Sources in Malaysia: Data Review and Future Research’ mentioned a significant lack of up-to-date activity data, coupled with issues like the omission of natural gas venting data and reliance on outdated surveys, challenging accurate emission assessments. 

On methane monitoring, while efforts have been made, Malaysia faces obstacles in establishing consistent baselines due to operational issues and infrequent monitoring stations. Despite the potential for advanced monitoring through remote sensing technologies, research in this domain remains limited, according to the joint research. 

Associate Professor Dr Yusri Yusup from USM's School of Industrial Technology said that to date, there was also no regulatory framework that the industry could apply to standardise reporting on GHG. 

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"There are no regulatory frameworks that we can all apply so that everybody reports the same thing or reports at least the same standard report. There is a standard actually, but they use the Oil and Gas Methane Partnership 2.0 (OGMP 2.0) to report but they are not beholden to disclose the details.

"In the end, they publish the report but in an aggregated way," he told Bernama in an interview recently. 

Yusri added that the guidelines should be mandatory and industry players shoud report using the standard guidelines. 

"But before that, they have to come up with what kind of report they want the industry to do. The industry will comply but you have to push them," he added.

According to the research, in terms of GHG reporting, Malaysia leans heavily on Tier 1 emission factors and occasionally borrows data from neighbouring countries

It said regulatory standards for methane control remain non-mandatory, and issues of data availability persist, including limited public accessibility, confidentiality concerns and operational challenges.

Challenges in reducing methane emissions in Malaysia include financial constraints, stakeholder engagement, data sharing limitations and the slow adoption of renewable energy in the private sector. The lack of established guidelines and a limited focus on methane research further compound these challenges.

"There's no incentive to do it. It is quite difficult because a lot of people are involved so there is an issue of funding for one thing, (another thing is) human resource, collaboration issues, cooperative issues. They are not sharing, start off with the feelings that people are not going to share. All these things add up to the difficulties.

"In the end, researchers work in their silos," Yusri said. 

The OGMP 2.0 is the flagship oil and gas reporting and mitigation programme of the United Nations Environment Programme.

The research found that the "waste" economic sector was the largest contributor to methane emissions, followed by the energy and agriculture, forestry and other land use economic sectors.  

The research said accurate quantification of methane emissions is essential for informed policymaking and mitigation efforts.

In recent decades, the increasing concentration of GHG in the earth's atmosphere has become a pressing concern for scientists, policymakers and the global community. 

Among these greenhouse gases, methane has emerged as a formidable player, accounting for approximately 16 per cent of total GHG emissions. 

While carbon dioxide has long been the primary focus of climate change discussions, methane's potency as a short-lived climate pollutant demands immediate attention. 

The Malaysian Department of Environment measured methane in the ambient air from 1997 until 2010 at 20 stations around Malaysia. 

Methane also has been measured by the Department of Meteorology at Global Atmosphere Watch stations in Malaysia. The joint research was conducted between January and September 2023.

-- BERNAMA