Rapid reductions in methane emissions from fossil fuels could help avoid up to 0.1°C of global temperature rise by mid-century – a figure greater than the emissions impact of removing all cars and trucks from the world’s roads, according to a new report from the International Energy Agency (IEA).
Titled “The Imperative of Cutting Methane from Fossil Fuels,” the report in collaboration with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the UNEP-convened Climate and Clean Air Coalition (CCAC), underscores the essential role of curbing methane emissions from fossil fuel production and use in the fight to limit global warming to 1.5°C.
TAKING ACTION
Moreover, mitigating methane emissions, which lead to ground-level ozone pollution, would have immediate and wide-reaching benefits. The report, based on the UNEP/CCAC Global Methane Assessment from 2021, suggests that taking action on methane could prevent nearly 1 million premature deaths due to ozone exposure, mitigate 90 million tonnes of crop losses due to ozone and climate changes, and save about 85 billion hours of lost labour due to extreme heat by 2050. These actions would generate an estimated USD 260 billion in direct economic benefits through 2050.
IEA Executive Director Fatih Birol stressed the significance of reducing methane emissions in the energy sector as an affordable and effective means to limit global warming, emphasizing the need for early actions in parallel with reducing fossil fuel demand and CO2 emissions.
Inger Andersen, Executive Director of UNEP, highlighted the importance of cutting methane as a feasible and cost-effective action while emphasizing the ongoing transition toward decarbonisation. She underlined the support system in place to assist countries in developing roadmaps, policies, and regulations, and providing credible data to drive emissions reductions.
CONTRIBUTION
Methane, a potent greenhouse gas, has contributed to approximately 30% of the global temperature increase since the Industrial Revolution and ranks as the second-largest contributor to global warming after CO2. More than half of global emissions result from human activities in agriculture, waste management, and fossil fuel production.
Without intervention, the emissions from human activities could increase by up to 13% between 2020 and 2030. To limit warming to 1.5°C, these emissions need to decrease by 30% to 60% during this period, with cuts in the emissions from fossil fuels accounting for a significant portion of this reduction.
The report indicates that existing technologies can abate over three-quarters of methane emissions from oil and gas operations and half of emissions from coal, often at low cost. Tackling methane emissions is deemed one of the most cost-effective strategies for reducing greenhouse gas emissions. In the IEA’s net-zero scenario, the oil and gas sector would require approximately USD 75 billion in spending by 2030 to implement all methane abatement measures, an amount equivalent to less than 2% of the industry’s 2022 income.
