Global methane emissions still far above what countries report, IEA warns

The fossil fuel industry released more than 120 million tonnes of methane in 2024, keeping emissions close to record highs, the International Energy Agency said this week. The level has barely changed since 2019, despite global pledges to cut this powerful greenhouse gas.

Methane is the second biggest driver of global warming after carbon dioxide. It traps about 80 times more heat than CO2 over a 20-year period, but breaks down faster in the atmosphere.

“The latest data indicates that implementation on methane has continued to fall short of ambitions,” Fatih Birol, executive director of the IEA, said on Wednesday.

Leaks and under-reporting

Most methane from the energy sector escapes through leaks in oil and gas infrastructure, or is deliberately released during equipment maintenance. But tracking these emissions remains difficult.

The IEA said emissions from fossil fuels are “around 80 percent higher than the total reported by governments” to the United Nations.

Its estimates are based on measured data where possible, rather than relying solely on national reporting, which is often based on industry estimates.

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China had the highest energy-related methane emissions in 2024, mainly from coal. The United States was second, due to its oil and gas operations, with Russia in third place.

More than 25 satellites now monitor methane around the world, helping researchers detect large-scale leaks from space.

The IEA said Europe's Sentinel 5 satellite, which only picks up the largest leaks, recorded more “super-emitting methane events” in 2024 than in any previous year. These massive plumes were spotted worldwide, with the largest in the US, Turkmenistan and Russia.

Abandoned oil and gas wells, along with old coal mines, were also named as major sources of methane leaking into the atmosphere.

Existing solutions

Experts say reducing methane from the energy sector is one of the fastest and cheapest ways to limit global heating.

“There's no need for technological breakthroughs to deliver this,” said Tomás Bredariol, an energy and environment policy analyst at the IEA.

“Around 70 percent of methane emissions from the energy sector can be reduced with technologies that have been deployed in multiple places around the world very successfully.”

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Despite this, only about 5 percent of global oil and gas production currently meets net-zero methane standards, the agency said.

If stronger action is taken now, the IEA says methane reductions could lower global temperatures by 0.1C by 2050. That is roughly equal to cutting all carbon emissions from heavy industry worldwide.

While agriculture remains the largest source of methane emissions from human activity, fossil fuels are widely considered the easiest sector to fix.