According to the International Energy Agency, cutting methane emissions and controlling flaring could free up to 2 billion m³ of gas, more than half the EU's annual demand.

Omissions

• The claimed figure of 2 billion m³ is roughly two orders of magnitude below the IEA's own published estimates (~100 bcm from methane abatement alone; ~200-210 bcm including flaring reduction), so the speaker appears to have understated the potential volume by a factor of about 100.
• The claim is internally inconsistent: 2 bcm is less than 1% of EU annual gas demand (roughly 350-400 bcm), not 'more than half' of it. 'More than half the EU's annual demand' would correspond to roughly 200 bcm, which is consistent with the IEA's ~200-210 bcm total and suggests the intended figure may have been 200 billion m³ rather than 2 billion m³.
• The IEA's own caveat was omitted: only around 15 bcm could be brought to market quickly enough to provide near-term relief to gas markets; the bulk of the potential is longer-term.
• The first element of the claim (that global oil and gas methane emissions correspond to total annual US gas exports) could not be confirmed in the sources retrieved; the IEA does state that around 200 bcm of gas-equivalent methane was emitted by the fossil fuel sector globally in 2024, but the specific comparison with US annual gas exports was not located.
• The most recent IEA material available before the session (Global Methane Tracker 2026, covering 2025 data) continues to report methane emissions at roughly the same order of magnitude and does not support a 2 bcm potential.

Sources

• PrimaryInternational Energy Agency — Global Methane Tracker 2025, Key findingsCutting down on methane and flaring can help improve energy security and ease the supply-demand balance by bringing additional natural gas to market. Around 200 billion cubic metres (bcm) of methane was emitted by the fossil fuel sector globally in 2024. Not all of this could have been captured and used as an energy source, but we estimate that methane abatement could have made nearly 100 bcm of natural gas available. A further 150 bcm of natural gas is flared globally each year...
• PrimaryInternational Energy Agency — The energy security case for tackling gas flaring and methane leaksA concerted effort to limit flaring and methane emissions could make nearly 210 billion cubic metres of natural gas available to markets... In total, we estimate that action to reduce methane leaks, venting and flaring could quickly bring nearly 210 bcm to global gas markets.
• SecondaryAl Jazeera — Tackling methane emissions key for climate change and energy security: IEANearly 100 billion cubic metres of natural gas could be made available annually through a global effort to cut methane from oil and gas operations, the IEA said, estimating that nearly 15 billion cubic metres could be made available in a sufficiently short period of time to provide some relief to gas markets... A further 100 billion cubic metres would be unlocked through the elimination of non-emergency flaring worldwide, it added.