RT Report
T1 An Eye on Methane: International Methane Emissions Observatory - 2021 Report
A1 United Nations Environment Programme, 
A2 Kupers, Roland
A2 Caltagirone, Manfredi
A2 Ferrini, Giulia
A2 Zavala-Araiza, Daniel
A2 Tullos, Erin
A2 Esparza, Adolfo Contreras Ruiz
A2 Gamez, Ricardo Alonso Esparza
A2 Schwietzke, Stefan
K1 methane
K1 fossil fuel
K1 climate change
K1 global warming
SN 978-92-807-3893-3
YR 2021
FD 2021
LK https://wedocs.unep.org/handle/20.500.11822/37283
UL https://wedocs.unep.org/handle/20.500.11822/37283
NO Methane Matters - Curbing methane emissions from fossil fuels matters. And it matters under any plausible decarbonisation scenario. UNEP promotes a rapid transition away from fossil fuels but recognizes the climate importance of curbing methane emissions during the transition. This first annual report from the International Methane Emissions Observatory (IMEO) describes how this can be done and what progress has been made, particularly in the energy sector. Methane contributes to at least a quarter of today’s climate warming, and its concentration continues to rise rapidly in large part from anthropogenic sources. In particular, emissions from oil, gas, and coal are the most amenable to be cost effectively abated by actors who have sufficient agency to act promptly. The other two main sources of agriculture and waste are also in IMEO’s scope, but they will require a different Theory of Change and the creation of frameworks to collect data. Consequently, IMEO’s initial focus is on emissions from the fossil sector.
DS UN Environment Document Repository
RD Sep 17, 2026