Methane, one of the most harmful greenhouse gases, is increasing in our environment. It has been increasing in concentration since the industrial revolution, but in the last couple of decades, the rate is "dangerously fast". The concentration is at 1,900 parts per billion in 2021. Almost thrice of the pre-industrial era.
Researchers from the NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) published an article in Nature. They gave some interesting data about methane emissions over the years.
Methane emissions had slowed as the millennium turned but the emissions have been on the increase since 2007. Many researchers have attributed this sudden increase to a feedback mechanism caused by global warming. It is causing even more quantity of methane to release into the atmosphere, causing it even harder to curb increasing temperature.
From 2007 to 2016, anthropogenic activities have been responsible for around 62 percent methane emissions. Such sources include agricultural and farm waste, livestock, fossil fuel extraction, and landfill.
The reason that increasing methane emissions is of such a big concern is that it is 28 times more potent than Carbon dioxide. The damage potential of methane is 80-85 times more than CO2 over a span of 20 years.
Scientists have also suggested that the fastest way to reduce global warming in the short term is to decrease methane emissions. More than 100 countries have pledged to cut collective methane emissions by 30% of 2020 levels by 2030. This reduction, if successful, would reduce global warming by at least 0.2C by 2050.
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