Methane emissions from fossil fuel industries remain consistently high, as highlighted in the International Energy Agency's (IEA) latest Global Methane Tracker for 2025. This update indicates some progress in bolstering data collection and monitoring methane leaks.
The report, which utilizes the newest data from satellites and measurement initiatives, provides comprehensive emission estimates across sectors and explores various cost-effective abatement strategies. Methane reduction is seen as a key factor in mitigating immediate global warming, particularly as global temperatures have reached unprecedented levels over the past two years.
Tackling Methane Leaks
IEA Executive Director, Fatih Birol, emphasized the benefits of addressing methane leaks and flaring, saying, “Tackling methane leaks and flaring offers a double dividend: it alleviates pressure on tight gas markets in many parts of the world, enhancing energy security – and lowers emissions at the same time.”
However, Birol noted a gap between methane emission ambitions and actual implementation. The IEA aims to equip governments and industries with necessary tools and knowledge to fulfill their commitments.
Global Methane Tracker Insights
Methane emissions from the energy sector continue to exceed 120 million tons annually
The report reveals that the fossil fuel sector contributes to nearly one-third of human-caused global methane emissions. Despite record levels of oil, gas, and coal production, and limited mitigation efforts, methane emissions from the energy sector continue to exceed 120 million tons annually.
Updates to the 2025 Global Methane Tracker introduce new features such as historical emissions data by country, an interactive tool for international methane initiatives, and estimates for emissions from defunct fossil fuel facilities. The Tracker also includes an open-access model for investigating methane reduction paths in the oil and gas sectors.
Enhancing Data Transparency
IEA's estimates of methane emissions are substantially higher than what official reports suggest, though data transparency is on the rise. Currently, over 25 satellites are deployed to provide crucial insights. In 2024 alone, satellite-detected massive leaks from oil and gas facilities hit an all-time high.
Additionally, the Tracker highlights that abandoned oil and gas wells, along with coal mines, contributed approximately 8 million tons of methane emissions last year, ranking them collectively as the fourth-largest emitter of fossil fuel methane.
Potential for Emission Reduction
Current methane commitments cover 80% of global oil and gas production
The report estimates that with existing technology, around 70% of methane emissions from the energy sector can be curtailed. Many abatement measures could be cost-neutral or even profitable, as captured methane can be resold.
Significant disparity exists in methane emission intensities across different regions and companies, with the most efficient outperforming the least by a factor of 100. Promoting awareness and sharing best practices are vital for reducing this gap.
Global Methane Reduction Pledges
Current methane commitments cover 80% of global oil and gas production, though only 5% of production currently meets near-zero methane emission standards.
The Tracker suggests that reducing methane emissions and flaring could significantly enhance energy security by adding to natural gas supplies. In 2024, effective methane abatement could have freed up an additional 100 billion cubic meters of natural gas, comparable to Norway's total exports.
Implementing Methane Mitigation
Each year, about 150 billion cubic meters of natural gas is flared, most of which could be prevented with targeted mitigation strategies in the fossil fuel sector.
Current policies suggest that such efforts could avert a 0.1°C increase in global temperatures by 2050, akin to cutting all carbon dioxide emissions from heavy industry worldwide.
Methane emissions from fossil fuels remain at stubbornly high levels, according to the IEA’s latest global tracking update, which notes that efforts to bolster data collection and monitor methane leaks are making progress.
The Global Methane Tracker 2025, presents the IEA’s latest sector-wide emissions estimates, based on the most recent data from satellites and measurement campaigns, and examines different abatement options along with their associated costs.
Methane abatement is a crucial opportunity to reduce near-term global warming at a time when temperatures worldwide have set record highs for two years in a row.
Tackling methane leaks
“Tackling methane leaks and flaring offers a double dividend: it alleviates pressure on tight gas markets in many parts of the world, enhancing energy security – and lowers emissions at the same time,” said IEA Executive Director Fatih Birol.
“However, the latest data indicates that implementation on methane has continued to fall short of ambitions. The IEA is working to ensure that governments and industry have the tools and knowledge they need to deliver on pledges and achieve the goals they have set.”
Global Methane Tracker
The fossil fuel sector accounts for nearly one-third of global methane emissions from human activity
The 2025 update of the Global Methane Tracker adds several new elements, including country-level historical emissions data; an interactive tool to explore international methane initiatives; and estimates of emissions from abandoned fossil fuel facilities.
The report also features a fully open-access model for exploring methane abatement pathways in the oil and gas industry.
The fossil fuel sector accounts for nearly one-third of global methane emissions from human activity presently. According to the report, record global production of oil, gas and coal – along with limited mitigation efforts to date – have kept methane emissions from the energy sector worldwide above 120 million tons annually.
Global methane emissions
The IEA estimate is considerably higher than the levels implied by official reporting, but data transparency is improving. There are now more than 25 satellites in orbit that can provide vital insights. Very large leaks from oil and gas facilities detected by satellites rose to a record high in 2024.
New analysis in this year’s Tracker also found that abandoned oil and gas wells and coal mines together contributed around 8 million tons to global methane emissions last year. Taken together, these sources would be the world’s fourth-largest emitter of fossil fuel methane.
Methane emissions from the energy sector
Around 70% of annual methane emissions from the energy sector could be avoided
According to the report, around 70% of annual methane emissions from the energy sector could be avoided with existing technologies.
Meanwhile, a significant share of abatement measures could pay for themselves within a year, since the gas that is captured can be resold.
The analysis finds a huge range in methane emissions intensities across different countries and companies, with the best outperforming the worst by a factor of 100. Raising awareness and spreading readily available best practices are essential to narrow this gap, it notes.
Methane pledges
According to a new analysis published in the Tracker update, current methane pledges by companies and countries cover 80% of global oil and gas production. At the moment, however, only around 5% of global oil and gas output demonstrably meets a near-zero methane emissions standard.
The Tracker finds that addressing methane emissions and flaring would improve energy security by creating an additional natural gas supply.
Methane abatement could have made around 100 billion cubic meters of natural gas available to markets in 2024, on par with Norway’s total gas exports.
Deploying targeted methane mitigation solutions
A further 150 billion cubic meters of natural gas is flared globally each year, the majority of which is part of routine practices and can be avoided.
Based on the present policies, deploying targeted methane mitigation solutions in the fossil fuel sector would prevent a roughly 0.1 °C rise in global temperatures by 2050. This is comparable to eliminating all the carbon dioxide emissions from heavy industry worldwide.
