• Methane drives about 30% of global warming since the industrial era and warms the planet 80 times faster than CO₂ over 20 years. 
• Only 12% of 3,500 methane leak alerts in oil and gas operations triggered action in 2025. 
• More than 150 countries pledged to cut methane emissions by 30% by 2030, yet about 90% of alerts still go ignored.

Global methane emissions continue to increase. The UN Environment Programme’s International Methane Emissions Observatory (IMEO) warned on 22 October that governments and companies are not acting fast enough against the gas responsible for roughly 30% of global warming since the industrial revolution.

The latest edition of its “Global Methane Watch” report shows that oil and gas companies responded to only 12% of 3,500 leak alerts issued this year. The share improved from 1% last year but the IMEO said action remains insufficient in a climate emergency.

The agency reminds policymakers that methane ranks as the second most significant greenhouse gas after CO₂. It traps heat 80 times more efficiently than carbon dioxide over a 20-year period, making rapid reductions a powerful tool to slow temperature rises.

Human activity produces methane mainly through coal, oil and gas operations, livestock and rice production, and waste management. The report notes that over 150 countries committed in late 2021 to cut methane emissions by at least 30% by 2030 from 2020 levels. Yet IMEO estimates that companies ignore nearly 90% of leak alerts, undermining progress.

Methane remains in the atmosphere for only 10 to 15 years, compared with thousands for CO₂. Scientists say this faster decay means that reducing methane offers immediate climate gains.

The report stresses the economic benefits of leak-cutting technologies. According to the authors, methane reduction is one of the best investments fossil fuel operators can make, describing the solutions as abundant and full of "common sense." They assert that acting on methane is not merely a climate necessity but an economic opportunity, as the ability to capture the gas for resale or simply eliminate costly operational inefficiencies directly benefits the bottom line.

This article was initially published in French by Espoir Olodo

Adapted in English by Ange Jason Quenum