Methane: you’ve probably heard of it, but what is it and why is it important to reduce it?

Methane is a greenhouse gas mainly emitted from dumpsites, oil and gas wells, coal mines, wetlands and cow burps.

What you may not know is that methane emissions are the second largest contributor to climate change, making up about 30% of the net warming impact of all greenhouse gases.In fact, when it comes to heating the planet, methane is over 84 times more potent than carbon dioxide. While there are many natural sources of methane, about 60% of it comes from human activity.

While methane may be more harmful than other gases , it doesn’t last so long in the atmosphere. Compared to CO2, which lingers for centuries, methane stays about 12 years in the atmosphere. So reducing methane emissions can help reduce temperature increases in the short term, while we work on longer term climate solutions.

Most methane solutions don’t cost that much to implement and are within our reach. Methane is a byproduct of oil, gas and coal production. Leak detectors can be installed and damaged equipment be repaired to contain methane. When it comes to waste, we should be composting all organic material to reduce emissions. Changing rice growing patterns, breeds of cattle and their diets can reduce emissions of the agricultural sector by 20% by 2030. Our diets are also important. Reducing meat intake by just one or two less servings a week can have a significant impact.

The UNEP Emissions Gap Report shows that cutting methane emissions by 45% this decade would help keep warming beneath the threshold agreed by world leaders. Over 100 countries have joined a pledge to collectively reduce global methane emissions by at least 30% by 2030. But, if we are to limit global warming to 2 degrees, countries need to ramp up methane reduction targets in their nationally-determined-contributions.

In short, reducing methane is a low hanging fruit in the race to tackle climate change.

Learn more:
[ Ссылка ]
[ Ссылка ]
[ Ссылка ]

свернуть