ACCORDING to key findings from the International Energy Agency (IEA)’s latest Annual Methane Tracker, in 2023, global methane emissions from fossil fuels stayed close to a record high despite new global reduction pledges.

Human activities like agriculture, oil and gas production, and the accumulation of food waste in landfills produce methane — a much more potent greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide. Methane emissions from the energy sector are responsible for roughly a third of global temperature increases since pre-industrial times, reported Reuters.

“Emissions of methane from fossil fuel operations remain unacceptably high … There is no reason for emissions to remain as high as they are,” said Tim Gould, IEA chief energy economist, as AFP reported.