Fossil fuel output fuels over 120 million tonnes of energy sector emissions annually

Even abandoned oil and gas wells, as well as coal mines, contribute to the ongoing problem.

Methane emissions remain a major problem as the global production of oil, gas, and coal has kept the level from the energy sector above 120 million tonnes annually.

In its “Global Methane Tracker 2025” report, the International Energy Agency also found that abandoned oil and gas wells and coal mines contributed around 8 million tonnes to global methane emissions last year. Taken together, these sources would be the world’s fourth-largest emitter of fossil fuel methane.

Existing technologies could be a solution, as they can help avoid around 70% of annual methane emissions from the energy sector.

IEA also found a huge range in methane emissions intensities across different countries and companies. It also noted that current methane pledges by companies and countries cover 80% of global oil and gas production, but only 5% of global oil and gas output meets a near-zero methane emissions standard.

“Raising awareness and spreading readily available best practices are essential to narrow this gap,” IEA said.