Mixed messages: New oil and gas extraction areas raise the stakes for methane abatement

Global Energy Monitor identifies 74 new oil and gas projects that could emit 2.4 million metric tonnes of methane annually by 2030, potentially undermining the Global Methane Pledge. The analysis reveals significant discrepancies between these potential emissions and the company-wide figures reported by operators to the OGMP 2.0, suggesting widespread underreporting of assets or methane intensity. A small number of fields in Saudi Arabia and Guyana account for a disproportionate share of these emissions, while new EU regulations on imported oil and gas are expected to impact many of these developments.

• Seventy-four proposed oil and gas extraction projects slated to reach peak production by 2030 have the potential to emit 2.4 million metric tonnes of methane annually, which is nearly equivalent to the emissions of the entire fossil fuel production sector in Europe.
• Methane emissions from these projects are highly concentrated; twelve fields account for half of the total potential emissions, with over 30% originating from four fields in Saudi Arabia and two in Guyana.
• There is a significant gap between the potential emissions of projects under development and the company-wide emissions reported by operators to the Oil and Gas Methane Partnership 2.0 (OGMP 2.0). For some companies, GEM's estimates for fields in development are up to thirteen times larger than the reported company-wide emissions.
• The expansion of oil and gas production poses a risk to the Global Methane Pledge (GMP), as most projects under development are located in countries or operated by companies that have committed to reducing global methane emissions by 30% by 2030.
• New European Union regulations requiring monitoring, disclosure, and abatement for imported oil and gas will likely affect many of the analyzed fields, as every examined field either is located within an EU member state or exports to one.
• The potential impact of new fields on national emissions is substantial in some countries; for example, new fields in Guyana could emit 287% of its 2023 oil and gas production emissions, and in the United Kingdom, 107%.

APA

Global Energy Monitor (2024). Mixed messages: New oil and gas extraction areas raise the stakes for methane abatement. https://globalenergymonitor.org/sites/default/files/migration/reports/GEM_GMET-Oil-Gas-Extraction-Briefing_11.pdf

Chicago

Global Energy Monitor. Mixed messages: New oil and gas extraction areas raise the stakes for methane abatement. 2024. https://globalenergymonitor.org/sites/default/files/migration/reports/GEM_GMET-Oil-Gas-Extraction-Briefing_11.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Global Energy Monitor |title=Mixed messages: New oil and gas extraction areas raise the stakes for methane abatement |date=April 2024 |url=https://globalenergymonitor.org/sites/default/files/migration/reports/GEM_GMET-Oil-Gas-Extraction-Briefing_11.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{globalenergymonitor2024mixed, author = {{Global Energy Monitor}}, title = {{Mixed messages: New oil and gas extraction areas raise the stakes for methane abatement}}, institution = {Global Energy Monitor}, year = {2024}, month = apr, url = {https://globalenergymonitor.org/sites/default/files/migration/reports/GEM_GMET-Oil-Gas-Extraction-Briefing_11.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }