Brunei Darussalam's Sources of CH4 Emissions
Key Insights
2024 CH4 Emissions Profile
Brunei Darussalam's methane emissions totalled around 1.5 megatonnes CO2e in 2024 and were overwhelmingly dominated by Fugitive emissions: around 1.3 megatonnes CO2e, or 90% of the national total. Over the ten years to 2024, Fugitive emissions fell by about 0.061 megatonnes CO2e per year (3.6% per year). Waste contributed around 0.11 megatonnes CO2e, or 7.2%, and rose by about 0.0015 megatonnes CO2e per year. Fuel, Livestock and Crop each accounted for around 1% or less, while Other emissions were zero after falling by roughly 0.12 megatonnes CO2e per year.
Historic Livestock Emissions
Livestock emissions began at around 0.004 megatonnes CO2e in 1851 and rose gradually through the mid-20th century. They peaked at roughly 0.029 megatonnes CO2e in 1974, then declined to around 0.01 by the early 1990s. Emissions subsequently varied at a lower level, ending at around 0.016 megatonnes CO2e in 2024.
Historic Fugitive Emissions
Fugitive emissions were negligible until the late 1960s, then increased rapidly from zero to around 1.2 megatonnes CO2e by 1975. They later fluctuated substantially, reaching a record peak of roughly 3.4 megatonnes CO2e in 2008 and falling back afterwards. In 2024, Fugitive emissions stood at around 1.3 megatonnes CO2e.
Historic Waste Emissions
Waste emissions started at around 0.002 megatonnes CO2e in 1851 and increased gradually for more than a century. Growth became more pronounced from the mid-1950s, with emissions rising from around 0.01 to 0.04 megatonnes CO2e by the mid-1980s. They continued upward thereafter, reaching their record high of around 0.11 megatonnes CO2e in 2024.
Historic Crop Emissions
Crop emissions were around 0.002 megatonnes CO2e in 1851 and rose gradually until the late 1960s. They peaked at roughly 0.018 megatonnes CO2e in 1969, before declining to around 0.004 by the late 1980s. After dipping to roughly 0.002 in 1999, they rose again to around 0.008 megatonnes CO2e in 2024.
Historic Fuel Emissions
Fuel emissions were near zero until the late 1930s, then rose gradually through the second half of the 20th century. They reached a peak of around 0.02 megatonnes CO2e in 2006 and remained close to that level, despite a modest decline after the peak. Fuel emissions ended at around 0.018 megatonnes CO2e in 2024.
Historic Other Emissions
Other emissions were zero until around 1999, then rose sharply during the following decade. They peaked at roughly 1.4 megatonnes CO2e in 2012 before falling back to zero by 2024. This source therefore made a sizeable contribution during part of the 2000s and 2010s, but none in the final year.
Background
The chart shows a national breakdown by source of the yearly methane (CH4) emissions from human activities expressed as weight in megatonnes (Mt). In the scientific literature, these are referred to as anthropogenic emissions. Human-induced methane emissions increase atmospheric methane, which is warming the Earth. The sources of human methane emissions are
- Livestock
- Fugitive emissions from the fossil fuel industry
- Crop production
- Fossil fuel combustion
- Waste management
- Other processes
Methane's Global Warming Potential
Methane has a much higher Global Warming Potential (GWP) than CO2. However, Methane emissions in the atmosphere decay with an average lifetime of about 12 years so its long term warming-effect is much less compared to CO2 which stays on average for hundreds of years in the atmosphere. Meaning: Methane's short term warming effect is much higher, but long term warming effect is much lower. A reduction in emissions can cause a rapid decline in its atmospheric levels.
Livestock
Livestock emits methane that is produced in the animals' digestive system. Most methane is emitted from the mouth during rumination. A much smaller amount of methane is emitted from the manure. Depending on how the manure is managed, i.e., wet or dry, more methane is emitted. Wet management leads to higher methane emissions than dry management. However, dry management also emits nitrous oxide (N2O), which is another potent greenhouse gas.
Fugitive emissions from fossil fuel industry
Fugitive methane emissions are from the intentional and accidental release of methane, which happens during the extraction, storage, and transportation processes in the fossil fuel industry. Examples are methane leaks during oil and gas handling, storage, transport, incomplete combustion, and many more. Also, methane is deliberately ventilated from mines during the extraction of coal.
Methane is a primary part of “gas”, also called “natural gas” or “fossil gas”. Natural gas is used, for example, for heating and electricity generation, whereby it emits CO2 during the combustion process. However, when natural gas leaks (unburned) it contains a lot of fugitive methane emissions.
Waste
Waste from landfills and wastewater produces a lot of methane when biodegradable material breaks down without oxygen.
Crop production
Crop production emissions are largely from rice cultivation, which generates large amounts of methane during plant growth. These emissions are from flooded paddies, which create the swamp-like environment of rice fields. There are agricultural techniques to reduce emissions significantly, like periodic drainage and aeration. Rice is the main staple for about half the world's population, and its emissions are a significant part of total human methane emissions.
Fuel combustion
Fuel combustion emissions are mostly from the incomplete combustion of fossil fuels. As mentioned before, natural gas consists largely of methane, and when the combustion does not happen completely, methane enters the atmosphere.
Other
Other human-induced methane emissions include industrial processes and product uses.
Wikipedia: Anthropogenic Sources of Atmospheric MethaneIPCC: AR6, 5.2.2.2 Anthropogenic CH4 emissions
Units and Measures
CH4 emissions are expressed in the total weight in megatonnes per year. 1 Megatonne is equal to 1 million tonnes.
Wikipedia: MegatonneWikipedia: Global warming potential
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National methane emissions data through 2024 is from the PRIMAP-hist dataset, which combines several published sources into a historical emissions time series.
The Key Insights paragraph was created using a large language model (LLM) in combination with our data, historic events, and a structured approach for best accuracy by separating the context generation from the interpretation and narrative.
Data Sources
PRIMAP-hist The PRIMAP-hist national historical emissions time series (1750-2024)
Update cycle: Every few monthsDelay: Less than 1 yearCredits: Gütschow, J.; Busch, D.; Pflüger, M. (2025): The PRIMAP-hist national historical emissions time series v2.7 (1750-2024). zenodo. doi:10.5281/zenodo.17090760