By Toby McIntosh
The UN Environmental Programme notified governments of 1,200 of major methane emissions, but got only 15 replies, a one percent response rate, according a UNEP report issued Nov. 15.
“Disappointing” was the word used by Roland Kupers, a UNEP official, during a press conference in Baku, Azerbaijan, during the COP29 climate change summit.
UNEP officials did not offer a strategy for increasing the response rate. They hinted that the notifications would be made public, even saying that press coverage would be helpful. However, a redesigned website on methane emissions does not appear to show the notifications.
The report cites four instances in which UNEP’s notifications led to follow-up engagements that resulted the emissions being stopped. The report summarizes examples in Algeria, Azerbaijan, Nigeria and the United States.
“To date, action following notifications has been limited and represents a missed opportunity for climate action,” summarized the annual report of the Methane Alert and Response System (MARS), part of UNEP’s International Methane Emissions Observatory (IMEO).
The solutions are often “relatively easy fixes,” said Inger Andersen, UNEP’s Executive Director, at the press conference. “You don’t need to be a math genius to calculate the potential big wins here,” she said.
“Governments and oil and gas companies, on whom much of the world’s economy still rely, must stop paying lip service to this challenge when answers are staring them right in the face,” Andersen stressed.
“Instead they should recognize a significant opportunity that this system presents and start responding to the alerts and by plugging leaks that are spewing out climate-warming methane into the atmosphere,” she said.
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Transparency of Notifications Valuable, Andersen Says
Andersen suggested that the agency would provide more information on the notifications.
Andersen said at the press conference that the notifications should make “greater awareness,” leading to “public pressure.”
“The media will write about it and countries will understand that this something that cannot be swept under the carpet,” she said.
The UNEP methane database which went public in December of 2023, contains information the locations and size of the emission. More than 6,000 emission events are recorded. The database also shows whether contact was made with the government. Official notifications are sent out on official UNEP letterhead after UNEP analyzes and verifies emissions data from a variety of satellite sources, officials said. When the program started, UNEP pledged to release summaries of its interactions with government, but hasn’t done so. Nor did UNEP release its communications with the governments.
UNEP Opposed Disclosing Notification
Until recently, however, UNEP has resisted disclosing the notifications.
It took a request and an administrative appeal by Eye on Global Transparency, using the UNEP Access to Information Policy, to pry loose one notification earlier in 2024. (See EYE article.)
EYE requested all communications with Kazakhstan about a large emission that occurred on June 23, 2023.
Initially, UNEP completely denied access to any documents. EYE appealed.
Two and a half months later, on July 1, UNEP disclosed one UNEP communication with Kazakhstan about the emission event. However, UNEP declined to share any replies from the Kazakh government, citing confidentiality.
UNEP’s partial disclosure came in a letter from Andersen, who makes final access decisions based on an undisclosed report from a three-person appeals panel whose members, including an outside expert, are not identified.
Annual Report Sees “Missed Opportunity”
“We‘d have expected it [the response rate] to be substantially higher,” Kupers conceded.
The report states that from January 2024 through September 2024, during which time 2,618 plumes were detected in the oil and gas sector, 582 in the coal sector, and 563 in the waste sector, according to the report.
By far the most plumes were detected in Turkmenistan (388), followed by the United States (178), Iran (128) and Algeria (111). Since its launch, MARS has notified governments and companies of over 1,200 major emission events, all in the oil and gas sector, according to the report.
A running total of emissions detected and notifications sent appears on the MARS website.
On Nov. 15, it showed 6,876 plumes and 1,225 notifications. There is no breakdown of what countries were notified.
“Beginning in mid-2024, IMEO scaled up its ability to notify all relevant stakeholders about detected methane plumes that are notifiable,” the report states. When notification is issued, UNEP IMEO “requests that the recipient share information about the detected plume in question such as the source or whether any mitigation action was taken.” Only 15 replies were received.
The report cited a few reasons for the low response rate:
While the system’s capabilities and outreach to companies and governments has substantially grown, action from these stakeholders has not kept pace. This may result from capacity issues, technical barriers and a lack of accountability.
Later on the report says, “To date, action following notifications has been limited and represents a missed opportunity for climate action.”
Previous EYE articles concerning UNEP’s methane program:
UNEP Releases Communication on Kazakhstan About Methane; a First
UNEP Still Looking to Make Contact With Turkmenistan About Methane Emissions
UN Methane Program Has Not Contacted Turkmenistan, Biggest Emissions Source
UNEP Issues More Methane Data; Nothing Yet on Engagements
Shrouded in Secrecy, UNEP Partially Denies EYE’s Request for Information
UNEP Issues Data on Methane Emissions; Indefinite on Other Transparency Pledge
UN Methane Detection Project Issues Report; Transparency Future Unclear
Delays to Access Information at UNEP Continue With Mysteries, Odd Requests
A Requester’s Saga: Dysfunction at the UNEP Over Handling Access Requests
UN Methane Project Sets Later Target for Releasing Data on Large Emissions
Shrouded in Secrecy, UNEP Partially Denies EYE’s Request for Information
40-50 Large Methane Emissions a Month May Be Revealed Soon, UN Official Says
45-75 Day Time-Delay Planned by IMEO for Release of Date on Methane Emissions
