New Study Reveals Alarming Increase in Methane Emissions

Credit: ⁢CC0 Public Domain

The fight against⁣ methane emissions,⁣ a significant contributor‌ to climate change, is far from over. Despite the commitment of more than 150 nations to reduce⁢ methane emissions by 30% in the next decade,‌ recent research indicates that global methane ⁤emissions have actually ⁢increased at an alarming ‍rate over ⁣the past five years.

This concerning trend is highlighted in a perspective ‌article published on‍ September 10th in Environmental Research Letters, along ‍with data from Earth ⁢System Science Data. Both studies are part ⁣of the Global Carbon Project led‌ by Stanford University’s Rob Jackson, which‍ monitors greenhouse gas emissions worldwide.

Current levels of ⁢atmospheric methane are now‍ more than 2.6 times⁤ higher than pre-industrial levels—the ‌highest they’ve been in at least ⁢800,000 years. If this trajectory continues, global⁢ warming could exceed 3 degrees Celsius or⁣ 5 degrees Fahrenheit by the end of⁢ this century.

Methane ‍is a potent greenhouse gas⁣ that originates from natural‍ sources‍ like wetlands and human activities such as ⁤agriculture,⁤ fossil fuel use, and‌ landfills. Despite its short lifespan compared to carbon ⁢dioxide, ‍methane has a much greater impact on ‌warming the atmosphere in ‍the short ‌term.

Recent estimates show that total ⁢annual methane emissions have increased⁤ by 20% or 61 million tons over the past two decades due to various factors including coal mining, oil and gas operations, livestock⁢ farming, and organic waste decomposition in ⁢landfills.

2024-09-10 ‌01:15:02
Link ⁤from phys.org