Methane Cuts or Marketing Stunts? The Fossil Fuel Shell Game

In 2024, methane emissions reached record highs, an inconvenient truth for policymakers who love grand climate pledges but shy away from actual enforcement.

A flare burns off methane in Permian Basin in Midland, Texas. Source: Photo: David Goldman/AP/picture alliance

According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), global methane emissions from the energy sector alone hit 135 million tons in 2023, a figure that has continued to rise despite repeated warnings from scientists. While the US, EU, and China scramble to tighten methane regulations in oil and gas sectors, one cannot ignore the irony: these same powerhouses are also expanding fossil fuel operations. For intense, the US approved the Willow Project in Alaska in 2023, which is expected to produce 600 million barrels of oil over 30 years, while the EU imported record

levels of liquefied natural gas (LNG) in 2023 to replace Russian gas. The much-hyped “methane reduction plans” are, in many cases, half-measures, plugging leaks while conveniently ignoring the elephant in the room: fossil fuel phaseout.

The so-called “JUST Transition” is the latest buzzword, meant to assure fossil-dependent communities that they won’t be left behind. Yet, the fine print often reveals a different story. Transition policies favor wealthier nations, while Least Developed Countries (LDCs) are left clinging to dying industries or, worse, forced into dependence on “green” technologies they can barely afford. For example, the OECD estimates that only 20% of global climate finance reaches LDCs, despite these nations being the most vulnerable to climate impacts. When rich nations talk about phasing out “unabated” fossil fuels, what they really mean is keeping their own industries afloat with carbon capture fantasies while demanding the poorer nations immediately abandon coal and oil.

Its almost poetic, the same nations that built their economics on centuries of fossil fuel use now insist that LDCs leapfrog directly into clean energy, preferably by purchasing Western- manufactured solar panels and wind turbines. Yet, the cost of renewable energy infrastructure remains prohibitive for many LDCs; for instance, the average cost of solar power installation in Sub-Saharan Arica is 1.2 million per megawatt!! Compared to 800,000 in US.

China, the world’s largest methane emitter, has finally acknowledged the problem – commendable, if not decades overdue. In 2023, China’s methane emissions were estimated at 28 million tons, primarily from coal mining and agriculture.

Meanwhile, the EU and US are racing to regulate methane leaks, though their fossil fiel lobbies still enjoy a comfortable seat at the policy table. Just to give an example, the US oil and gas industry sent $124 million on lobbying in 2023, ensuring that regulations remain lenient. It begs the question: is this really about climate action, or just another economic chess game were the winners and losers have already been decided!

For LDCs, the message is clear: adapt or get gushed. Because in the global energy transition, fairness is just another word for ‘whoever holds the power’. The UNFCCC estimated that LDCs will need 1 trillion annually by 2023 to meet their climate adaptation and mitigation goals, yet currently funding commitments fall woefully short. Meanwhile, the G20 nations, responsible for

1.3 trillion annually link, according to the IMF. This stark imbalance underscores the hypocrisy of global climate policies, where the wealthy prioritize their economic interests over the survival of the planet and its most vulnerable populations.