No excuse for high methane emissions: Energy agency chief Fatih Birol

The International Energy Agency on Tuesday accused fossil fuel industries of doing too little to curb methane emissions and undermining global climate goals to limit warming.

Economic uncertainty, high energy prices and concerns over security of supply, which would have led to emissions cuts in 2022, were ineffective as methane emissions remained stubbornly high, the report said.

Methane cuts are among the cheapest options to limit near-term global warming,” said IEA’s executive director Fatih Birol. “There is just no excuse.

The IEA’s annual Methane Gas Tracker found that 75 per cent of methane emissions from the oil and gas sector can be reduced with far cheaper and readily available technologies.