Methane Emissions on the Rise
According to a new report, methane emissions from human activities have increased by 20 percent in the last two decades. The Global Methane Budget 2024, produced by international research partners, including Australia’s CSIRO, revealed that methane levels have risen by 61 million metric tonnes per year.
Methane, a colorless and odorless gas, is produced naturally when plants decompose underwater and also through industrial processes. It is considered the second most prominent greenhouse gas after carbon dioxide.
The report identified China as the top emitter of anthropogenic methane in 2020 at 16 percent, followed by India at 9 percent, and the United States at 7 percent.
Executive Director for the Global Carbon Project, Pep Canadell from CSIRO, highlighted that methane concentrations in the atmosphere are now 2.6 times higher than pre-industrial levels. He emphasized that human activities are responsible for at least two-thirds of global methane emissions, contributing to about 0.5 degrees Celsius of global warming.
While methane has a shorter lifespan in the atmosphere compared to carbon dioxide, it has a significant short-term global warming potential. The report indicated that agriculture accounts for 40 percent of global methane emissions from human activities, followed by the fossil fuel sector at 34 percent, solid waste and wastewater at 19 percent, and biomass and biofuel burning at 7 percent.
Efforts to reduce methane emissions include improving animal production efficiency, utilizing feed additives to reduce enteric methane, and breeding animals that produce lower methane levels. The report also emphasized the importance of achieving the Global Methane Pledge, which aims to cut methane emissions by 30 percent by 2030.
Researchers suggested that a 45 percent reduction in anthropogenic methane emissions by 2050 is necessary to align with the goals of the Paris Agreement. Strategies such as developing feed additives like Asparagopsis seaweed and researching alternative feeding methods for livestock are being explored to combat methane emissions.
Despite a decrease in fossil fuel methane emissions, other sectors such as agriculture, waste management, and coal mining have contributed to the overall rise in methane levels. NASA estimates that 60 percent of methane emissions today come from human activities, with agriculture, fossil fuels, and landfill waste decomposition being the primary sources.
