Record levels of greenhouse gas methane are a ‘fire alarm moment’
Average atmospheric concentrations of methane reached 1900 parts per billion last September, the highest in nearly four decades of records
Rising levels of the powerful greenhouse gas methane reaching a new milestone should serve as a “fire alarm moment”, say researchers.
According to data compiled by the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), average atmospheric concentrations of methane reached a record 1900 parts per billion (ppb) in September 2021, the highest in nearly four decades of records. The figure stood at 1638 ppb in 1983.
“It is scary,” says Euan Nisbet at Royal Holloway, University of London. He says the record shows the importance of more than 100 countries acting on their methane-cutting pledge at the COP26 climate summit. www.newscientist.com/...
Methane is gas that is found in small quantities in the atmosphere. Methane is the simplest hydrocarbon, consisting of one carbon atom and four hydrogen atoms. Methane is a powerful greenhouse gas. ... Major natural sources of methane include emissions from wetlands and oceans, and from the digestive processes of termites.
U.S. needs stronger federal methane emission policy. Voluntary action won't go far enough. Methane currently accounts for around one-fifth of man-made global...
Methane emissions are driving climate change. Here’s how to reduce them
A recent assessment from the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the Climate and Clean Air Coalition found that cutting farming-related methane emissions would be key in the battle against climate change. But how can the world do that? Read on for the answers.
Where does methane come from?
Agriculture is the predominant source.
Livestock emissions – from manure and gastroenteric releases – account for roughly 32 per cent of human-caused methane emissions. Population growth, economic development and urban migration have stimulated unprecedented demand for animal protein and with the global population approaching 10 billion, this hunger is expected to increase by up to 70 per cent by 2050.www.unep.org/…
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