Methane Corporates

Global Energy Monitor (GEM) finds that 30 fossil fuel companies are responsible for 43% of the industry's global methane emissions. The analysis identifies the National Iranian Oil Company as the largest emitter and highlights the dominance of Chinese state-owned enterprises in coal mine methane emissions. The report emphasizes that emissions vary based on infrastructure age, operator type, and geographic location, noting that some oil and gas emissions could be reduced at no net cost.

• Thirty fossil fuel companies are responsible for 43% of the global methane emissions from the fossil fuel industry, totaling 54 million tons of methane.
• The top ten national oil and gas companies emit 25 million tons of methane annually, which represents one-third of global oil and gas methane emissions based on IEA estimates.
• The top ten international, investor-owned oil and gas companies emit 10 million tons of methane per year, accounting for 13% of global oil and gas methane emissions.
• Ten state-owned coal enterprises are responsible for 41% of global coal mine methane emissions, emitting 18 million tons of methane per year. Nine of these ten companies are headquartered in China.
• The ten largest investor-owned or privately owned coal companies emit nearly 5 million tons of methane annually, which is approximately 11% of the coal industry's emissions.
• Methane emission rates in the oil and gas sector vary significantly by country due to infrastructure age, operator type, and flaring practices; countries like Syria, Turkmenistan, and Venezuela emit over 200 times more methane per unit of production than the Netherlands and Norway.
• The IEA estimates that oil and gas methane emissions must be reduced by 77% by 2030, and suggests that these reductions could be implemented at no net cost given current natural gas prices.

APA

Global Energy Monitor (2022). Methane Corporates. https://globalenergymonitor.org/sites/default/files/migration/reports/GEM-Methane-Corporates-Briefing-2022_FINAL_V3_11.pdf

Chicago

Global Energy Monitor. Methane Corporates. 2022. https://globalenergymonitor.org/sites/default/files/migration/reports/GEM-Methane-Corporates-Briefing-2022_FINAL_V3_11.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Global Energy Monitor |title=Methane Corporates |date=November 2022 |url=https://globalenergymonitor.org/sites/default/files/migration/reports/GEM-Methane-Corporates-Briefing-2022_FINAL_V3_11.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{globalenergymonitor2022methane, author = {{Global Energy Monitor}}, title = {{Methane Corporates}}, institution = {Global Energy Monitor}, year = {2022}, month = nov, url = {https://globalenergymonitor.org/sites/default/files/migration/reports/GEM-Methane-Corporates-Briefing-2022_FINAL_V3_11.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }