France, May 9 -- The fossil fuel industry released more than 120 million tonnes of methane in 2024, keeping emissions close to record highs, the International Energy Agency said this week. The level has barely changed since 2019, despite global pledges to cut this powerful greenhouse gas.

Methane is the second biggest driver of global warming after carbon dioxide. It traps about 80 times more heat than CO2 over a 20-year period, but breaks down faster in the atmosphere.

"The latest data indicates that implementation on methane has continued to fall short of ambitions," Fatih Birol, executive director of the IEA, said on Wednesday.Leaks and under-reporting

Most methane from the energy sector escapes through leaks in oil and gas infrastr...