In order to achieve climate protection goals, the International Energy Agency (IEA) has called for methane emissions in the oil and gas sector to be reduced more quickly. Almost 120 million tonnes of methane were released in 2023 when the two fossil fuels were extracted, a slight increase compared to the previous year the IEA announced today in Paris.
In addition, there were around ten million tons of methane from bioenergy sources such as the use of biomass.
The main causes of methane emissions are the USA, Russia and China.
A reduction in methane emissions by 75 percent by 2030 is necessary to limit global warming, said IEA director Fatih Birol. It is now a matter of translating into action the commitments made by almost 200 countries at the World Climate Conference in Dubai last December. This alone would halve methane emissions by 2030.
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10 million tons of methane from bioenergy sources such as biomass
Methane is responsible for almost a third of the global temperature increase since the Industrial Revolution, with the energy sector the second largest source of emissions from human activities, the IEA said.
Although methane evaporates from the atmosphere more quickly than carbon dioxide, it is a much more potent greenhouse gas during its short lifespan. Therefore, reducing methane emissions is one of the best ways to limit global warming and improve air quality in the short term.
No trace of greentech: 40% of methane emissions from fossil fuel extraction could have been avoided – according to the IEA. Photo: Envato
40% of methane emissions from fossil fuel extraction could have been avoided
As the IEA calculated, around 40 percent of methane emissions from the extraction of fossil fuels could have been avoided in 2023 without additional costs, since the value of the methane captured was higher than the costs of the avoidance measure.
Methane emissions arise in the energy industry from leaking pipelines or as a by-product of extraction, which is often flared, although not all of the methane is converted into carbon dioxide.
Greentech LIVE: Methane emissions in the oil and gas sector must be reduced more quickly – according to the IEA study. Graphic: UBA Federal Environment Agency