IEA urges world to drastically cut methane emissions

/ News & Interviews / Thursday, 24 February 2022 07:57

 

Emissions of the potent greenhouse gas methane coming from the global energy sector are 70% higher than officially reported, the International Energy Agency (IEA) has said. 

In its 2022 Global Methane Tracker report, the industry watchdog has urged the world to drastically curb methane emission through new policies and action.

The coal industry’s contribution to the problem was recorded at 42 million tonnes (Mt), followed by 41 Mt from oil and 39 Mt from natural gas.

"Methane emissions from the energy sector grew by just under 5% last year," the IEA said. "This did not bring them back to their 2019 levels and slightly lagged the rise in overall energy use, indicating that some efforts to limit emissions may already be paying off."

More than 100 countries joined a U.S.- and EU-led effort to cut emissions of methane 30% by 2030 from 2020 levels at the COP25 climate conference in Glasgow, Scotland, last year.

The energy sector accounts for around 40% of methane emissions from human activity, the IEA said. Other industries, with agriculture at the top, are also big methane emitters.

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