The International Energy Agency (IEA) tracks global methane emissions and found that the energy industry was responsible for 135 million tonnes of methane released into the atmosphere in 2022, only slightly below the record highs seen in 2019.
Today, the energy sector accounts for around 40 per cent of total methane emissions attributable to human activity, second only to agriculture.
Methane is responsible for around 30 per cent of the rise in global temperatures since the Industrial Revolution and has more than 80 times the warming power of carbon dioxide in the first 20 years after it reaches the atmosphere.
But it also dissipates at a much faster than carbon dioxide, only lasting an average of 12 years in the atmosphere compared to carbon dioxide, which can linger for centuries.
Therefore, action taken by the fossil fuel sector to cut emissions could have a significant impact on climate change in the near term.
The IEA said that methane emissions...