Context: Climate talks often revolve around reducing the most dangerous greenhouse gas, carbon dioxide (CO2). In the CoP28 meeting to be held in Dubai next week, along with CO2, the likely attention will be diverted to powerful heat-trapping emissions by Methane.
About Methane:
- Methane (CH4) is a colourless, odourless, flammable gas that is the main component of natural gas. Atmospheric methane (CH4) occurs abundantly in nature as the primary component of natural gas.
- It is a powerful greenhouse gas i.e., it traps heat in the atmosphere and contributes to global warming. It is the second largest contributor to climate change, accounting for around 16% of the warming effect.
- Methane remains in the atmosphere for only about 12 years, but has a much more powerful warming impact than CO2.
- Methane is about 21 times more potent than carbon dioxide (CO2) at trapping heat in the atmosphere over a 100 year timescale. This means that one tonne of methane emitted into the atmosphere has the same warming effect as 21 tonnes of CO2.
Sources:
- There has been a steady increase of methane in the atmosphere, with concentrations currently over two-and-a-half times greater than pre-industrial levels.
- Around 60% of methane emissions are linked to human activity, while most of the remainder is from wetlands.
- Agriculture is the biggest emitter, responsible for roughly a quarter of emissions. Most of that is from livestock (cows and sheep release methane during digestion and in their manure) and rice cultivation, where flooded fields create ideal conditions for methane-emitting bacteria.
- Energy sector - coal, oil, and gas - is the second largest source of human caused methane emissions. Methane leaks from energy infrastructure, such as gas pipelines, and from deliberate releases during maintenance.
- Discarded household waste also releases large quantities of methane when it decomposes, if left to rot in landfills.
Way Forward:
- A recent International Energy Agency report estimates that rapid cuts in methane emissions linked to the fossil fuel sector could prevent up to 0.1 degrees Celsius of warming by mid-century.
- It could be achieved by repairing leaky infrastructure and eliminating routine flaring and venting during maintenance.
- For rice fields, changes to water management are the “most promising” way to reduce emissions.