Methane emissions from fossil fuels remain near record highs in 2025, with little global decline. IEA analysis shows proven abatement measures could free 200 billion cubic metres of natural gas annually and enhance energy security. Some countries are progressing, and the Middle East crisis highlights added benefits.
The heads of the International Energy Agency (IEA), International Monetary Fund (IMF), and World Bank Group will meet on Monday to discuss the energy crisis triggered by the Iran war.
Middle East conflict disrupted global natural gas markets, cutting nearly 20 per cent of LNG supply via the Strait of Hormuz, causing supply shocks, uncertainty, and sharp price increases worldwide, according to the International Energy Agency’s (IEA) latest quarterly gas market report.
The Iran–US–Israel conflict is driving the worst global energy crisis, IEA head Fatih Birol said, calling it the biggest in history, worsened by Russia-related energy shocks and supply pressures global.
Global energy demand growth slowed in 2025, while electricity use rose faster. Solar PV led supply growth for the first time, followed by natural gas, which accounted for 17 per cent mainly in power generation, according to a new International Energy Agency (IEA) report.
The Heads of the International Energy Agency, International Monetary Fund, and World Bank Group have agreed to form a coordination group to maximise their institutions’ response to the energy and economic impacts of the war in the Middle East.
Energy output lost in the Middle East from the ongoing conflict in the region will take about two years to recover, Fatih Birol, the head of the International Energy Agency, was quoted as saying in an interview with the Neue Zuercher Zeitung newspaper.
The impact of the Middle East war is substantial, global, and highly asymmetric, disproportionately affecting energy importers, in particular low-income countries, said heads of the International Energy Agency, International Monetary Fund, and World Bank Group.
Recent global shocks have spurred intensive energy policymaking, increasing focus on security, resilience and affordability, and boosting public spending, according to the IEA’s State of Energy Policy 2026 report reviewing global policy changes in 2025.
The heads of the International Energy Agency, International Monetary Fund, and World Bank on Wednesday said they will form a coordination group to maximise their response to the significant economic and energy impacts of the war in the Middle East.
