Action To Plug Methane Leaks Must Accelerate To Stop Climate Change

Methane emissions, caused by humans, are responsible for roughly a third of the planet’s current global warming. According to new UN Environment Programme (UNEP) data revealed in the fourth edition of UNEP’s International Methane Emissions Observatory (IMEO) publication- “An Eye on Methane, Invisible but not unseen”.

Reducing these emissions is the fastest, most cost-effective way to slow global warming in the near-term – and is essential to avert worsening climate change. A high-tech system that identifies major methane leaks has delivered 1,200 notifications to governments and companies over the last two years, yet just one per cent of notifications were responded to according to the alerts from the Methane Alert and Response System (MARS), part of UNEP’s International Methane Emissions Observatory (IMEO) data. Despite commitments under the Global Methane Pledge to slash emissions 30 per cent by 2030, Methane Emissions Observatory (IMEO), represent an untapped opportunity for immediate climate action.

Atmospheric methane is the second biggest driver of anthropogenic global warming after carbon dioxide (CO2) and is over 80 times more powerful than CO2 in the near-term. Global methane emissions must be reduced 40-45 per cent by 2030 to achieve cost-effective pathways that limit global warming to 1.5°C. Yet the atmospheric concentrations of methane rising at record speed over the past 5 years. Global average atmospheric abundance of methane from 1706.56 parts per billion in January 1990, reached a high of 1932.24 parts per billion (ppb) in November 2024.

“To have any chance of getting global warming under control, methane emissions must come down, and come down fast,” said Inger Andersen, UNEP Executive Director. “We now have a proven system to identify major leaks so they can be quickly stopped – often with simple repairs. We are quite literally talking about screwing bolts tighter in some cases.”

“Governments and oil and gas companies must stop paying lip-service to this challenge when answers are staring them in the face. Instead, they should recognise the significant opportunity this presents and start responding to alerts by plugging leaks that are spewing climate-warming methane into the atmosphere. The tools are ready, the targets are set – now it is time to act.

EU Energy Commissioner, Kadri Simson said that: “Methane emissions are a powerful driver of climate change, and the EU is determined to cut down these emissions by 30 per cent by 2030. Credible data is essential to achieve the goals of the Global Methane Pledge. IMEO is delivering data that enables informed decision-making and drives accountability.”

Proving its worth

While methane responses must rapidly grow, there are examples of nations and companies responding – proving the value of data-driven solutions like MARS. In 2024, IMEO verified action to reduce emissions from major leaks in Azerbaijan and the United States.

In Algeria and Nigeria MARS notifications and engagement led to direct action from the governments and oil and gas companies to address large methane leaks. In the Algerian case, which saw methane leaks take place for years, the annual avoided emissions are equivalent to 500,000 cars being taken off the road. In Nigeria’s case, the six-month leak emitted methane equivalent to 400,000 cars being driven for a year and was able to be fixed in under two weeks by simply replacing faulty equipment.

Initiatives

UNEP’s Oil and Gas Methane Partnership 2.0 (OGMP 2.0), an initiative for oil and gas companies to measure and reduce their methane emissions. OGMP 2.0 added 20 members over the past year, growing to 140 members covering more than 40 per cent of global production.

2024 is the first year that OGMP 2.0 began awarding its “Gold Standard reporting” to companies that report their emissions at the highest data quality levels. So far in 2024, 55 companies have achieved Gold Standard reporting. Moving all companies across the sector to OGMP 2.0 Gold Standard emissions reporting is necessary to effectively target mitigation with measurement-based data and track performance against pledges to reduce emissions, such as the Oil and Gas Decarbonization Charter announced at COP28.

IMEO has also launched the Eye on Methane data platform to spark further action. The platform delivers open, reliable and actionable global methane emissions data to drive impactful methane mitigation action by governments and companies, while providing transparent, reliable data to civil society and media.

IMEO is also stepping up its work on methane emissions from other sources with a new Steel Methane Programme. Methane emissions from metallurgical coal used in steel production represent on average 30 percent of steel’s near-term climate footprint. These emissions can be mitigated at roughly one per cent of the price of steel.

The new programme provides a framework for reducing the climate footprint of the steel sector as the industry transitions to green alternatives. MARS is being expanded to cover metallurgical coal production and identify further mitigation opportunities.

Parliamentary State Secretary for Climate, German Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action, Stefan Wenzel: “Methane is a very aggressive greenhouse gas. However, it has one advantage: it is much easier to reduce than CO2. We have to use these low-hanging fruits. As we work towards our ambitious climate goals, we need every tool available to mitigate methane emissions effectively.”

The writer of this article is Dr. Seema Javed, an environmentalist & a communications professional in the field of climate and energy