Baku, Nov 15 (IANS): A high-tech system that identifies major methane leaks has delivered 1,200 notifications to governments and companies over the last two years, yet just one per cent of notifications were responded to, new UN Environment Programme (UNEP) data said on Friday.

Despite commitments under the Global Methane Pledge to slash emissions by 30 per cent by 2030, "An Eye on Methane: Invisible but not Unseen", highlights that methane plume alerts from the Methane Alert and Response System (MARS), part of UNEP’s International Methane Emissions Observatory (IMEO), represent an untapped opportunity for immediate climate action.

Atmospheric methane is the second biggest driver of anthropogenic global warming after carbon dioxide (CO2) and is over 80 times more powerful than CO2 in the near term. Global methane emissions must be reduced by 40-45 per cent by 2030 to achieve cost-effective pathways that limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius. Yet the latest science shows atmospheric concentrations of methane rising at record speed over the past five years.

"To have any chance of getting global warming under control, methane emissions must come down, and come down fast," UNEP Executive Director Inger Andersen said.

"We now have a proven system to identify major leaks so they can be quickly stopped -- often with simple repairs. We are quite literally talking about screwing bolts tighter in some cases. Governments and oil and gas companies must stop paying lip service to this challenge when answers are staring them in the face. Instead, they should recognise the significant opportunity this presents and start responding to alerts by plugging leaks that are spewing climate-warming methane into the atmosphere. The tools are ready, the targets are set -- now it is time to act."

While methane responses must rapidly grow, there are examples of nations and companies responding -- proving the value of data-driven solutions like MARS. In 2024, IMEO verified action to reduce emissions from major leaks in Azerbaijan and the US. In Algeria and Nigeria, MARS notifications and engagement led to direct action from the governments and oil and gas companies to address large methane leaks. In the Algerian case, which saw methane leaks take place for years, the annual avoided emissions are equivalent to 500,000 cars being taken off the road. In Nigeria's case, the six-month leak emitted methane equivalent to 400,000 cars being driven for a year and was able to be fixed in under two weeks by simply replacing faulty equipment.