The agency underlines the urgent need for enhanced monitoring efforts and stronger policy action to drive down emissions of the potent greenhouse gas.

According to the agency, methane is responsible for around 30% of the rise in global temperatures since the Industrial Revolution, and quick and sustained emission reductions are key to limiting near-term warming and improving air quality. Methane dissipates faster than carbon dioxide (CO2) but is a much more powerful greenhouse gas during its short lifespan, meaning that cutting methane emissions would have a rapid effect on limiting global warming.

The IEA said its annual Global Methane Tracker report shows emissions from the energy sector grew by almost 5% last year.

The energy sector – including oil, natural gas, coal and bioenergy – accounts for around 40% methane emissions from human activity. Tackling methane emissions from the energy sector represents one of the best near-term opportunities for limiting global warming because the pathways for reducing them are well known and often cost-effective.

The IEA was created in 1974 to help co-ordinate a collective response to major disruptions in the supply of oil. While oil security this remains a key aspect of our work, the IEA has evolved and expanded significantly since its foundation.