An increase in methane emissions from fossil fuels is cause for alarm – but with a glimmer of hope

“Harmful and unnecessary”. That is how an International Energy Agency economist described the increase in methane emissions from oil, gas and coal.

The energy sector emitted nearly five per cent more of this potent greenhouse gas in 2021 compared to 2020, when there was a lull due to the Covid pandemic.

More methane in the atmosphere is certainly not good news. It may be short-lived but it is potent - with an estimated warming power more than 80 times that of carbon dioxide over a 20-year period.

It is second largest contributor to global warming - which is causing freak weather events to happen more often, sea levels to rise and stark changes to landscapes, among other devestating effects.

Global leaders know this. At the Cop26 climate summit, nearly 100 countries committed to slashing methane emissions by 30 per cent by the end of the decade.

Emissions from fossil fuels - oil, coal and natural gas - were all higher last year compared to the year before, while levels from biofuel remained the same, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA) analysis published on Wednesday.

Experts say it is crucial to keep these down if the world wants to tackle the climate crisis, as the energy sector accounts for an estimated 40 per cent of global emissions of this potent gas - second only to agriculture.

“These emissions represent one of the best near-term opportunities for climate action because the pathways for reducing them are known and understood,” the IEA said. This includes detecting and repairing leaks, as well as installing emissions control devices.

But while the energy sector still emitted 135 million tonnes of methane into the atmosphere last year, there is a glimmer of hope - somehow - in the fact it was not more.

Even though emissions rose as the world bounced back from the Covid pandemic and its strict lockdowns, the IEA said they were not as high as 2019 levels “and slightly lagged the rise in overall energy use”.

The organisation said this indicated “some efforts to limit emissions may already be paying off”.

But while this points towards good news, it is far too early to celebrate while the energy sector - mainly fossil fuels - are still releasing more than 100 million tonnes of “harmful and unneccesary” emissions into the atmosphere.