In its new World Energy Outlook report, the International Energy Agency, or IEA, criticized the fossil-fuel industry for its continued methane emissions, with Fatih Birol, the IEA’s executive director, calling them “inexcusable.”
Methane is a substantially more potent greenhouse gas (GHG) than carbon dioxide—with a carbon intensity 85 times greater than CO2, and the main ingredient in natural gas. Both methane and carbon dioxide are significant contributors to global warming and climate change. The production and transportation of natural gas, often touted as an alternative to coal or oil, can emit large volumes of methane. According to the IEA, the global fossil-fuel industry released nearly 120 million metric tons of methane 2020, much of it largely avoidable. “At a time when we are constantly being reminded of the damaging effects of climate change, it is inexcusable that massive amounts of methane continue to be allowed to just seep into the air from fossil-fuel operations, Birol said in a statement. “These emissions are avoidable—the solutions are proven and even profitable in many cases. And the benefits, in terms of avoided near-term warming, are huge.”
