What is Methane?
Methane (CH₄) is a potent greenhouse gas that has contributed to around 30% of global temperature rise since the Industrial Revolution. Its atmospheric concentration today is about 2.5 times higher than pre-industrial levels and is increasing faster than most other greenhouse gases. Despite having a short atmospheric lifetime of around 10 years, methane has a very high warming impact, making near-term climate mitigation highly sensitive to methane reductions.
According to the Global Methane Tracker 2025 released by the , the energy sector emitted about 145 million tonnes (Mt) of methane in 2024. Oil and gas operations alone accounted for over 80 Mt, highlighting methane as a critical climate challenge beyond carbon dioxide.
Key Characteristics of Methane
- It is colourless, odourless, and highly flammable, often referred to as marsh gas.
- Methane has a Global Warming Potential (GWP) nearly 80 times that of CO₂ over a 20-year period.
- Around 60% of global methane emissions are anthropogenic, while the rest originate from natural sources such as wetlands and thawing permafrost.
Major Sources of Methane Emissions
Anthropogenic Sources
The three largest human-driven sources are:
- Agriculture – livestock digestion (enteric fermentation) and rice cultivation
- Energy sector – oil, natural gas, coal, and bioenergy
- Waste sector – landfills and wastewater treatment
The energy sector alone contributes more than 35% of global human-induced methane emissions.
Methane Emissions from the Energy Sector
Within the energy system, emissions arise from extraction, processing, transport, and end-use leakage.
- Oil operations: ~45 Mt
- Natural gas operations: ~35 Mt
- Coal mining: >40 Mt, including emissions from abandoned mines
- Abandoned oil and gas wells: ~3 Mt
- Bioenergy combustion: ~18 Mt, largely from traditional biomass such as wood, dung, and charcoal
- End-use equipment leakage: ~2 Mt
- Modern bioenergy sources (biogas, biomethane, biofuels): ~2 Mt
Natural Sources
Natural methane emissions mainly come from:
- Wetlands, the largest natural source
- Permafrost thawing, which releases methane and CO₂ as temperatures rise
Climate change itself risks amplifying natural methane release, creating feedback loops.
Mitigation Potential
The IEA highlights that methane is one of the easiest greenhouse gases to reduce:
- Nearly 70% of methane emissions from fossil fuels can be mitigated using existing technologies.
- In the oil and gas sector, about 75% of emissions can be reduced through:
- Fixing leaks
- Improving monitoring
- Plugging abandoned wells
Many of these measures are low-cost or even cost-saving, as captured methane can be sold as fuel.
Major Methane-Emitting Countries
Top emitters from fossil fuel operations include:
- China
- United States
- Russia
- Iran
- Turkmenistan
- India
Global Efforts to Reduce Methane
- The Global Methane Pledge, launched at COP26, aims to reduce global methane emissions by at least 30% by 2030.
- Methane mitigation is increasingly viewed as a fast-track strategy to slow near-term global warming.
