ITV News US Correspondent Emma Murphy visits a disused oilfield in Montana, western US, to see how abandoned oil wells are fuelling environmental catastrophe and what is being done to try and stop it
An estimated three million abandoned oil wells in the United States are pumping out staggering quantities of methane into the atmosphere, which in turn heats up the globe and fuels our climate crisis.
In a country challenged by rising temperatures, wildfires and droughts, authorities are racing to cap up the millions of wells – which were abandoned when the quest for oil and gas moved on.
To put things into perspective, one oil well could emit as much as 1,000 cars’ worth of greenhouse gas over a year.
Be a Carbon Hero
Did you know the average person creates 20 metric tons of CO2e every year?
WDF has created Blue Ribbon Climate Benefit Units™ (CBU Blues) to be sold to individuals and companies to offset their carbon footprints. The current offsets were created by the plugging of the Bluhm #007 (API#25-101-10074) orphan well, completed August 24, 2023, in Toole County, MT.
Each unit is $25 and represents 1 metric ton of CO2e.
Let’s start with some basic information so we can keep detailed records on carbon credits sold.
