Close Menu
    Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram
    Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram
    SweetCrudeReportsSweetCrudeReports
    Subscribe
    • Home
    • Oil
    • Gas
    • Power
    • Solid Minerals
    • Labour
    • Financing
    • Freight
    • Community Development
    • E-Editions
    SweetCrudeReportsSweetCrudeReports
    Home » IEA says oil, gas methane emissions down 10% in 2020 as output fell

    IEA says oil, gas methane emissions down 10% in 2020 as output fell

    January 18, 2021
    Share
    Facebook Twitter LinkedIn WhatsApp

    London — Global emissions of the potent greenhouse gas methane from oil and gas production dropped 10% in 2020 mainly because of lower output as opposed to concerted climate action, a report by the International Energy Agency (IEA) found.

    Methane has more than 80 times the warming potential of carbon dioxide in its first 20 years in the atmosphere and is liable to leak from oil and gas infrastructure, such as pipelines.

    Other industries, including agriculture, are also big methane emitters.

    Last year, oil and gas operations emitted over 70 million tonnes of methane, or around 10% less than in 2019, the IEA, which helps governments set energy policy, said.

    “A large part of the drop in methane emissions in 2020 occurred not because companies were taking more care to avoid methane leaks from their operations, but simply because they were producing less oil and gas,” the IEA said.

    “There is clearly a risk that this downward trend will be reversed by an increase in production to fuel a rebound in global economic activity.”

    An unprecedented deal in April between the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries, Russia and other nations cut oil production by around 10 million barrels per day, or 10% of pre-coronavirus global demand.

    U.S. sanctions have crippled Venezuelan production and Libya’s oil industry has suffered from prolonged domestic strife. U.S. producers were hit by oil prices slumping in 2020 as the COVID-19 pandemic sapped demand and a volume war broke out between Russia and Saudi Arabia.

    In the IEA’s Sustainable Development Scenario, which would see global warming curbed to manageable levels, energy sector methane emissions would have to fall to below 50 million tonnes by 2025 and below 25 million tonnes by 2030.

    Publicly listed energy majors and some national oil companies are members of the Oil and Gas Climate Initiative that has set methane reduction targets.

    “We estimate that around 10% of leaks in 2020 could be avoided at no net cost,” the IEA said.

    In absolute terms, Russia and the United States were the biggest emitters of methane, the IEA figures showed.

    *Shadia Nasralla; editing: Barbara Lewis – Reuters

    Follow us on twitter

    Related News

    Oando appoints Ayotola Jagun as Executive Director

    Recovered funds boost student loans, credit access for civil servants – EFCC

    TotalEnergies looks to sell 50% stake in renewables assets in U.S., Spain

    Comments are closed.

    E-book
    Resilience Exhibition

    Latest News

    South Africa’s April manufacturing output falls 6.3% y/y

    June 11, 2025

    UK reaffirms support for Nigeria’s energy transition efforts

    June 11, 2025

    Oando appoints Ayotola Jagun as Executive Director

    June 11, 2025

    AI to bolster oil recovery as Africa maximizes production at ageing fields

    June 11, 2025

    ADNOC Gas takes FID and awards $5b contracts for RGD project

    June 11, 2025
    Demo
    Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram
    • Opec Daily Basket
    • Oil
    • Power
    • Gas
    • Freight
    • Financing
    • Labour
    • Technology
    • Solid Mineral
    • Conferences/Seminars
    • Community Development
    • Nigerian Content Initiative
    • Niger-Delta Question
    • Insurance
    • Other News
    • Focus
    • Feedback
    • Hanging Out With Markson

    Subscribe for Updates

    Get the latest energy news from Sweetcrudereports.

    Please wait...
    Please enter all required fields Click to hide
    Correct invalid entries Click to hide
    © 2025 Sweetcrudereports.
    • About Us
    • Advertise with us
    • Privacy Policy

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.