Methane Emissions Tracking Lags Behind Global Goals

Strategic Insights -

Despite efforts from several agency programs, the world is not making progress quickly enough to achieve the goal of reducing methane emissions by 30 percent by 2030, according to a United Nations report. Methane, released by the burning of fossil fuels, leaky landfills, and industrial agriculture, warms the planet up to 80 times more than carbon dioxide over two decades and is responsible for roughly a third of all planetary warming. Real-world measurements are crucial to solving the problem, said Giulia Ferrini, who leads the U.N. Environment Program's International Methane Emissions Observatory. The program uses satellite imagery to detect methane leaks in dozens of countries and has found over 14,000 plumes, but there is still a long way to go. President Trump's administration has hindered efforts by pulling the United States back from international climate commitments and proposing cuts to Earth observation programs.

Key Takeaways:

  • The world is not making progress quickly enough to achieve the goal of reducing methane emissions by 30 percent by 2030.
  • Methane emissions from oil, gas, and coal industries account for roughly a third of the world's total, at an estimated 120 million metric tons per year.
  • In 2025, the U.N. program detected over 14,000 methane plumes and sent thousands of pollution notifications to responsible parties, but only 25 cases resulted in leaks being plugged.
  • Less than a fifth of participating companies in the U.N. partnership with oil and gas companies are currently reporting their emissions with "gold standard" measurements, while another 15 percent are on track to do so within a few years.
  • The world's largest oil and gas companies, including state-owned companies, do not report their emissions to the agency, including Pemex in Mexico, Sinopec in China, and Saudi Aramco in Saudi Arabia, and US-based companies Exxon Mobil and Chevron.
  • The U.N. programs started by focusing on oil and gas emissions because low-cost and proven solutions are readily available, and will soon begin monitoring other sources, like coal, landfills, and wastewater.

Statistics:

  • Estimated 120 million metric tons of methane are released by oil, gas, and coal industries each year, roughly a third of the world's total.
  • Over 14,000 methane plumes have been detected by the U.N. program as of 2025.
  • The number of pollution notifications sent to responsible parties as a result of detected leaks is in the thousands.
  • 25 cases have been confirmed where an alert prompted operators to plug a leak, resulting from the U.N. program's existence.
  • In 2025, nearly 88 percent of the agency's alerts went unaddressed.
  • 154 companies have signed up to the U.N. partnership with oil and gas companies, representing about 42 percent of all oil and gas production in the world.
  • In 2025, these companies reported some 2.5 million tons of methane.
  • Less than a fifth of participating companies are currently reporting their emissions with "gold standard" measurements.

Sources:

  • United Nations report (no date mentioned)
  • International Energy Agency
  • U.N. Environment Program's International Methane Emissions Observatory (led by Giulia Ferrini)
  • RMI (research nonprofit)
  • Carbon Mapper (nonprofit group)
  • MethaneSAT (nonprofit group)