Methane is significantly more dangerous for the climate than CO2. Today, the gas causes around a quarter of global warming – and emissions have been rising at a “frightening” rate since 2007, warn US scientists. This development could trigger critical tipping points in the climate system. At the same time, a rapid reduction in methane has an immediate impact, as it disappears from the atmosphere much faster than CO2. Experts therefore speak of an “emergency brake” for the climate.

4,400 methane plumes in one year

In 2025, the UCLA Stop Methane Project program recorded a total of 4,400 significant methane plumes – visible methane clouds – from oil and gas facilities around the globe. Each cloud releases at least 100 kilograms of methane per hour, which is equivalent to the energy consumption of 20,000 gas-powered SUVs. The basis is data from the Carbon Mapper, a satellite program for global mapping of greenhouse gas emissions.

The 25 worst sources are particularly striking: According to the study, each of these so-called “mega leaks” causes the same climate effect as a coal-fired power plant. The measured emission rates were between 3.7 and 10.5 tons of methane per hour. For comparison: an average single-family home in Germany produces 5-10 tons of CO2 equivalents annually – a single methane cloud produces this amount in less than an hour.

Turkmenistan tops methane leaks

15 of the 25 worst methane leaks in 2025 come from a single country: Turkmenistan. The ailing infrastructure of the state oil and gas companies Turkmengaz and Turkmennebit is to blame. The largest sources are in the Esenguly district on the Caspian Sea and in the industrial city of Balkanabat, where up to 10.5 tons of methane per hour flow uncontrollably into the atmosphere – as satellite data shows.

Particularly explosive: Turkmenistan is planning to export gas to Europe. “It is clear that Turkmenistan is seeking access to the European market,” said Cara Horowitz, director of the Emmett Institute on Climate Change at the UCLA School of Law, according to the Guardian. European buyers should take the new analyzes seriously – especially as the EU gradually introduces strict methane leakage limits on imported gas.

The USA is not a model either

Not only Turkmenistan, but also Venezuela, Iran and the United States appear in the negative balance of the largest methane leaks. The largest US leak of 2025 was located in Texas: 5.5 tons of methane per hour. Nine of the ten worst American leaks were all in Texas.

“Americans should be surprised and outraged that the United States is so high on this list of the worst pollutants,” Horowitz said. “We in the U.S. tend to think of our industry as pretty well run and clean, but this shows we still have some work to do.”

Methane leaks are often the result of poor maintenance: leaky valves, rusted pipes or missing seals – problems that would often be technically easy to fix. “With a little better infrastructure and proper maintenance, a large part of the problem could be solved,” said Horowitz. In Germany, the researchers were unable to detect any methane leaks using satellite data.

Satellites as methane police

Methane has long been considered an “insidious pollutant gas”: invisible and difficult to measure. But satellites like those of the Carbon Mapper now make it possible to identify individual emission sources worldwide.

Despite the better data situation, the response to warnings remains weak. The UN Environment Program found that authorities and companies responded to only a fraction of the reports submitted about large methane leaks. Even if the situation improved something, Around 90 percent of the warnings continued to be ignored.

“It’s really disheartening,” says Cara Horowitz. She hopes that publicly addressing the leaks will increase political and economic pressure to take action.

In contrast to previous studies, this time the UCLA project not only identified the leak sites, but also the likely operators – a step that could further increase the pressure on companies and authorities.