UNEP: Better Data Driving Action on Methane Emissions

On October 23, 2025, the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) announced that its Methane Alert and Response System (MARS) has successfully identified over 1,500 major methane leaks worldwide since its launch in 2023—marking a turning point in efforts to tackle one of the fastest-warming greenhouse gases.

Methane, which traps 80 times more heat than carbon dioxide over 20 years, is emitted largely from oil & gas operations, landfills, and livestock. UNEP’s system combines satellite imagery, AI-based detection, and field verification to alert governments and companies of leaks in near real-time.

In 2025 alone, MARS data prompted several major interventions:

• Rapid plug-and-seal operations in Turkmenistan’s vast gas fields.
• A new EU regulation mandating public disclosure of methane leaks.
• Pilot agricultural methane-reduction projects in India and Brazil.

UNEP Executive Director Inger Andersen said, “Data transparency is revolutionising climate action. What was invisible is now undeniable.”

Environmental groups welcomed the progress but warned that data must lead to enforcement. Without penalties for non-compliance, they argue, the system risks becoming “a mirror showing the problem without cleaning it.”

Still, experts say cutting methane could halve global warming potential by 2040, making it one of the cheapest, fastest ways to curb climate risk while broader decarbonisation unfolds.