International Methane Emissions Observatory (IMEO)
The International Methane Emissions Observatory (IMEO) aims to accelerate reductions in fossil fuel methane emissions globally. The project reduces emissions of methane by integrating and reconciling emissions data through analysis, linking findings to ambitious action, and supporting sound methane reduction policies and regulations by governments and the private sector. To achieve this objective, IMEO aggregates and analyses multiple methane emissions data streams, including company reporting, national inventories reported to the UN Climate Change secretariat, direct measurements, and satellite observations. It reconciles inconsistencies between reported and observed emissions levels. By assisting industry and governments in addressing uncertainty related to reported emissions, IMEO improves the consistency and credibility of methane emissions data and accelerate mitigation actions based on sound science.
- IKI funding
- 22,000,000.00 €
- Duration
- 12/2023 till 12/2028
- Status
- open
- Implementing organisation
- United Nations Environment Programme (UN Environment)
- Political Partner
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- Diverse climate change relevant institutions in the respective partner countries/Diverse klimarelevante Institutionen in den entsprechenden Partnerländern
State of implementation/results
- UNEP’s IMEO is currently conducting methane measurement studies in Colombia to help the country obtain better data on the sources of emissions and inform mitigation actions undertaken by the government and companies. Currently, 25 Methane Science Studies are being implemented and 13 have been completed. 30 papers have been published and 20 more are expected by the end of 2026.
- UNEP’s Methane Alert and Response System (MARS), managed by IMEO, puts satellite data directly into the hands of governments and companies to reduce emissions. Through MARS IMEO has detected more than 9,000 major methane plumes from all sectors globally. Of those plumes that can be notified (that is, those that are recent detections in the oil and gas sector that were attributable to a source), over 2,000 plumes have been directly notified to stakeholders to enable them to take action. IMEO has verified five successful mitigation cases – where stakeholders acted on MARS data to eliminate the cause of emissions – as of end of 2024. These mitigations took place in Algeria, Argentina, Azerbaijan, Nigeria, and the United States.
- The Oil and Gas Methane Partnership 2.0 (OGMP 2.0) is UNEP’s flagship emissions reporting and mitigation framework which drives methane transparency and accountability across the oil and gas sector. To date, more than 150 companies have joined OGMP 2.0, representing over 42% of all oil and gas production globally. OGMP 2.0 is the only comprehensive measurement-based international reporting framework for the sector.
- In February 2024, IMEO organized third annual OGMP 2.0 Implementation Conference in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The conference brought together nearly 200 representatives from industry, leading scientific partners, and international organizations focusing on methane emissions mitigation to discuss progress and barriers towards achieving OGMP 2.0 requirements.
- IMEO’s Methane Training Series aims to increase methane mitigation capacity within governments. To date, IMEO has delivered its Methane Training Series to more than 1,400 company and government stakeholders across nearly 40 countries. Since September, in-person training workshops have been conducted for Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, and are being organized for Argentina and Angola.
- At COP 29, IMEO launched its new, interactive, public web portal, Eye on Methane, that integrates methane data from a variety of data sources, including company reporting, satellite observations, and direct measurements.
Latest Update:
12/2025
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