Highly polluting methane emissions from the energy industry have been under-reported by an “alarming” 70 per cent by governments worldwide, the International Energy Agency said, with an overall rise as gas prices escalated in 2021.

Many of the greenhouse gas inventories submitted by countries to the UN “have not been updated for years, and, even for those that have, many of these inventories are not yet accurate enough to provide a clear picture of emissions”, the IEA said in its latest report, which takes into account satellite tracking of methane combined with other data sources.

Methane traps more heat over a shorter lifespan than carbon dioxide, with 80 times the warming potential of carbon over a 20-year period. Cutting its emission would have a rapid effect in curbing global warming.