IMEO creates a public global dataset of empirically verified methane emissions, with an initial focus on fossil fuel sources, and interconnects this data with actions on research, reporting, and regulation.
[8] Its relatively short atmospheric lifespan – 10 to 12 years – means that reducing methane emissions can yield near-term reductions in the rate of warming, as well as air quality benefits.
In its special report in 2019, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) noted that deep reductions in methane emissions must be achieved by 2030 to limit warming to 1.5 or even 2 degrees.
The fossil fuel industry is responsible for an estimated one-third of anthropogenic methane emissions[8] and is the sector with the highest potential for rapid and cost-effective reductions,[10] slowing the rate of warming in the near term even as decarbonisation of the global energy system progresses.
It describes how state actors can take action to curb methane emissions from the fossil fuel industry, and what progress has been made as part of the decarbonization process, particularly in the energy sector.