Oil and gas operators are being urged to step up action to reduce emissions of methane from natural gas production and distribution as part of efforts to boost the sector's environmental image and make it more competitive against alternative fuels.
About 1.7% of the world’s natural gas production is leaked into the air as methane every year, the bulk of it from Russia and other former Soviet states, followed by the Middle East and North America, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA).