• IEA analysis indicates 70% greater emissions from energy sector than government report
• Methane contributes to 30% of rise in global temperatures
• Energy sector alone is responsible for 40% of methane emissions

The International Energy Agency (IEA) has resurfaced emission-related concerns after the Global Methane Tracker reflected surging emissions from oil, gas, and coal, urging for more transparency, stronger policies to take immediate action.

According to the IEA assessment, the energy sector is rendering 70% greater methane emissions as compared to what governments have officially reported, necessitating advanced monitoring efforts and more stringent policy deployment to curb increasing emissions of greenhouse gases.

Notably, methane accounts for 30% of the current rise in global temperatures, driven by industrial revolution, and to limit its impact on air quality with reduction of near-term warning, faster and sustained emission reduction will be required.

While studies have shown methane has faster dissipation compared to carbon dioxide, it is a relatively powerful greenhouse gas even for the short lifespan, which suggests that curbing methane emissions would have a significant impact in reducing global warming.

40% of the global methane emissions come from the energy sector, suggests IEA’s Global Methane Tracker which attempts to survey a comprehensive country-by-country emissions from bioenergy and coal mines for the first time.

Moreover, the IEA analysis also provides a thorough coverage of oil and natural gas operations.

Last year’s methane emissions from the energy sector spiked by less than 5%, nonetheless, did not reach 2019 levels and in fact fell behind in total energy consumption, showcasing success to a certain extent in limiting emissions. 

According to satellite surveillance, Texas and certain parts of Central Asia reported significant emissions, whereas Turkmenistan single-handedly accounted for one-third of large emissions recorded in 2021.

Meanwhile, major onshore oil as well as gas producer in the Middle East resulted in considerably less incidences of major leaks.

Source Credit: https://www.iea.org/news/methane-emissions-from-the-energy-sector-are-70-higher-than-official-figures