Overview
- The International Energy Agency, which released its Global Methane Tracker in Paris on Monday, estimates fossil output drove about 124 million tonnes of methane in 2025, equal to 35% of human-caused emissions.
- The report finds no sign of a drop last year in energy-related methane despite a 2021 pledge by more than 100 countries to cut it.
- Proven steps such as leak detection, repairs, and ending routine flaring could avoid about 30% of fossil-sector methane at no net cost because the captured gas can be sold.
- The IEA says up to 200 billion cubic meters of gas could be recovered each year from today’s losses, with about 15 billion cubic meters available quickly, a volume roughly twice the annual flow through the Strait of Hormuz.
- About 70% of fossil methane comes from the top 10 emitters led by China, the United States, and Russia, while satellite tracking is improving and oil-and-gas intensity has fallen about 10% since 2019.