Global Methane Monitor 2025. an alarming report from the International Energy Agency

Last year’s methane emissions were near historic highs, exceeding country-reported values by up to 80 percent, according to the latest Global Methane Monitor report from the International Energy Agency (IEA). Experts suspect massive leaks in energy infrastructure.

Global methane emissions in 2024.

Atmospheric methane concentrations have increased by more than 250 percent compared to before the industrial revolution. The fossil fuel-based energy sector is responsible for one-third of emissions of this most harmful of greenhouse gases, generating 120 million metric tons of _CH4 in 2024. This amount is close to the absolute record for 2019.

The latest Global Methane Monitor included, for the first time ever, emissions from abandoned mines and oil wells, estimated at 8 Mt. Another 20 Mt came from biomass energy production and use. The latter is primarily blamed on heating and cooking systems in developing countries, where the combustion of traditional biofuels is usually incomplete.

China was the world’s largest methane emitter in 2024. The United States and Russia followed in the infamous ranking. Through the use of scientific research and satellite measurements, the IEA found that real emissions are up to 80 percent higher than those reported by individual countries for the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).

Satellite observations indicate serious leakage

The Global Methane Monitor uses data from more than 25 satellites capable of measuring CH4 emissions_. New satellites MethaneSAT and Tanager-1, specialized in accurately detecting sources emitting even less than 500 kg of methane per hour, were launched in 2024. An analysis prepared on this basis by Carbon Mapper suggests that up to 1/4 of the emissions observed from energy infrastructure are recurrent. This fact clearly suggests the existence of leaks.

The Sentinel 5P satellite, which has already been in use for years, has confirmed that events defined as super methane emissions from oil and gas facilities have reached record levels in 2024. Analysts note, however, that even these figures may be underestimated due to difficult observational conditions in, for example, Venezuela (dense cloud cover) or northern Russia (lots of snow and ice).

Economic potential associated with reducing methane emissions

Reducing methane emissions is not only an environmental requirement, directly related to the need to curb climate change, but also an economic opportunity. The Global Methane Monitor reports that in 2024 the global fossil fuel sector released 200 billion^{cubic meters of} the problematic gas into the atmosphere. IEA experts believe that as much as 100 bcm^of natural gas could have been captured and used for energy production within that amount. One of the main problems in this context is burning it in open flares (so-called flaring), as a result of which 150 bcm^of natural gas is wasted annually.

Suggested methods for reducing methane emissions in the energy sector primarily include upgrading infrastructure. In gas pipelines, the implementation of vapor recovery facilities is suggested, while in coal mines, the energetic use of methane from abandoned deposits is suggested. The IEA estimates that such investments could reduce CH4 emissions_by 35 Mt annually, at no net cost. The Global Methane Monitor predicts that it is possible to reduce contemporary methane emissions from the fossil fuel energy sector by 30 percent under measures that offer a rate of return of up to 25 percent.

Why, despite such attractive economic prospects, are companies not investing more in reducing methane emissions? According to IEA analysts, this is due, among other things, to a lack of knowledge of possible technological solutions and an overestimation of the cost of necessary changes. In addition, in many cases, owners of instrumentation that needs to be upgraded will not benefit directly from reducing leakage, so they are not interested in change. In developing countries, securing the capital needed for investment can also be a problem.

Global Methane Monitor draws attention to abandoned installations

There are at least 8 million abandoned gas and oil wells in the world, some of which have not been properly secured. The IEA estimates that some 3 Mt of methane escaped from them in 2024. Another 5 Mt of the harmful greenhouse gas came from abandoned coal mines. If these sources were added up, we would get the world’s fourth largest fossil fuel methane emitter – after Russia and ahead of Iran.

It is worth noting that most of these emissions come from mines and wells that have recently been closed. Prompt mediation efforts that include sealing and monitoring abandoned wells and securing abandoned mines should therefore be a priority.

The Global Methane Monitor also draws attention to the problem of 2 billion people who still do not have access to clean cooking methods. This fact is associated with 3 million premature deaths affecting primarily women and children in Africa and South Asia. In both of these regions, the burning of solid biomass generates more than 15 Mt of methane per year. Increasing access to modern cooking appliances is another important step toward reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

Urgent need for concrete action

The year 2025 brings a new round of Voluntary Commitments to Reduce Emissions (NDCs). In the IEA’s view, this is an excellent opportunity for individual countries to start turning promises into real action, particularly in the context of precise commitments to reduce methane emissions. Norway, which banned routine open flaring as early as 1971 and imposed a tax on venting natural gas into the atmosphere and flaring in 2015, is cited as a good example. As a result, it is today one of the countries with the lowest methane emission intensity.

The IEA has identified 65 countries where a 30 percent reduction in _CH4 emissions would achieve a 10 percent drop in total global GHG emissions between 2020 and 2030. This would mean eliminating 1.2 gigatons of carbon dioxide equivalent from the atmosphere, an amount equivalent to the sum of global GHC emissions from shipping and aviation.

So far, commitments to reduce methane emissions in the power sector in their NDCs for the period up to 2035 have been made by Brazil, Canada, the United Arab Emirates and the United Kingdom, among others. Marauders in this regard are still Algeria, China, India, Iran, Russia, Syria, Thailand and Venezuela, which have not joined the Global Methane Pledge (GMP).

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