Satellites detected a large release of super-warming methane gas over southern Iraq last month. The methane cloud, spotted by geoanalytics firm Kayrros SAS using European Space Agency satellite data, was halfway between Baghdad and Basra, an oil and gas hub in southern Iraq. The rate of release was about 130 tons per hour, which has approximately the same climate-warming impact as 6,500 U.K. cars running for a year. One regional producer, Thiqar Oil Co., denied that its assets were the source of the release. Oil Pipelines Co., another operator, did not announce the release on its official page for leaks and maintenance. Iraq’s oil ministry did not respond to a request for comment. Satellites show the methane release over southern Iraq on August 16. Methane, which is the major component of natural gas, has more than 80 times the warming impact of carbon dioxide over the short term. Scientists […]