Fossil gas is the second-most used fuel in the global power sector, generating 24% of electricity as of 2019 and contributing 22% of total carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. In addition, the production and transport of fossil gas generates significant quantities of fugitive methane emissions, a potent greenhouse gas (GHG). Such methane emissions from oil and gas operations need to be reduced.
The share of fossil gas grew from 18% to just over 23% of total electricity generation from 2000 to 2019. However, it has slightly decreased each year since then, including a decrease in 2022 to reach 23%. Unabated fossil gas’s share must be brought down to 5–7% by 2030 to align with 1.5 degrees C-compatible pathways, which requires an acceleration more than ten times faster than the current slightly decreasing linear trend. But with the rapid buildup of renewables, the share of fossil gas in power generation could decrease rapidly and nonlinearly.