Just 1% of 1,200 notifications on major methane leaks delivered to governments and companies in the past two years by a high-tech detection system were responded to, the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) has revealed at the COP29 climate summit.

Scores of countries around the world are leaking an alarming amount of methane into the atmosphere from oil and gas activities and other operations, such as landfills, delegates to the event in Azerbaijani capital Baku were reminded. The frustration for scientists battling the climate crisis is that many “super-emitter” zones, including in three countries located just across the Caspian Sea from Azerbaijan—namely Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan and Iran—could be tackled relatively cheaply and easily if all obstacles to international cooperation on the issue were removed.

The methane plume alerts were issued by the Methane Alert and Response System (MARS), part of UNEP’s International Methane Emissions Observatory (IMEO).

“To have any chance of getting global warming under control, methane emissions must come down, and come down fast,” said Inger Andersen, UNEP executive director. “We now have a proven system to identify major leaks so they can be quickly stopped – often with simple repairs. We are quite literally talking about screwing bolts tighter in some cases.

“Governments and oil and gas companies must stop paying lip-service to this challenge when answers are staring them in the face. Instead, they should recognise the significant opportunity this presents and start responding to alerts by plugging leaks that are spewing climate-warming methane into the atmosphere. The tools are ready, the targets are set – now it is time to act.”

Though the success rate in response to the methane alerts was alarmingly low, in 2024, IMEO verified action to reduce emissions from major leaks in Azerbaijan and the US. 

Despite commitments under the Global Methane Pledge signed by countries to slash emissions 30% by 2030, UNEP’s report An Eye on Methane: Invisible but not unseen highlights how dealing with methane leakage still represents an untapped opportunity for immediate climate action.  

Atmospheric methane is the second biggest driver of anthropogenic global warming after carbon dioxide (CO2). It is over 80 times more powerful than CO2 in the near-term.

Global methane emissions must be reduced 40-45% by 2030 to achieve cost-effective pathways that help limit global warming to 1.5°C. Yet the latest science shows atmospheric concentrations of methane rising at record speed over the past five years, said UNEP.

Backing the approach of IMEO with the MARS system, Parliamentary State Secretary for Climate at the German Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action, Stefan Wenzel, said: "Methane is a very aggressive greenhouse gas. However, it has one advantage: it is much easier to reduce than CO2. We have to use these low-hanging fruits.

“As we work towards our ambitious climate goals, we need every tool available to mitigate methane emissions effectively. UNEP’s IMEO is delivering precise, data-driven insights to enable swift action. Germany is committed to supporting these innovative measures, which demonstrate that with the right data, we can achieve substantial reductions and drive global climate progress. It is now up to the polluters to avoid methane slip as far as possible. The techniques for this are available. This is more than indicated in view of the ongoing global climate change."