Global methane (CH4) emissions from the energy sector are about 70% higher than the amount officially reported by governments, shows a report by the International Energy Agency (IEA) published on Wednesday 23 February and covering the coal industry for the first time.
According to the IEA, this figure illustrates the need to improve the detection, verification and reporting of methane emissions, the second most important greenhouse gas contributing to climate change after CO2.
“Much more needs to be done to enable a better understanding of emissions sources and to allow for comprehensive methane management”, the report says.
Regarding the evolution of these emissions, the IEA estimates that they amount to about 135 million tonnes in 2021. This represents an annual increase of almost 5%, largely due to the increase in demand and production of fossil fuels as a result of the economic recovery.
The organisation therefore insists on the need to strengthen actions to reduce methane emissions in the energy sector, taking the example of Norway in particular.
It states that if all oil and gas producing countries matched Norway’s methane emissions intensity (emissions per unit of production), global emissions from oil and gas operations would fall by more than 90%.
“Uncertainty over methane emission levels is no reason to delay action. Big cuts can be achieved with known technologies and tried and tested policies”, said Tim Gould, Chief Energy Economist for IEA.
See the report: https://aeur.eu/f/gf (Original version in French by Damien Genicot)