Record levels of methane, a “gas far more dangerous than_CO2,” scientists alarm

In the fight against global warming,_CO2 is enemy number one, but not the only one. Methane, long ignored, is a gas with a warming power 80 times greater than carbon dioxide and would be easier and faster to act against it. However, its emissions are reaching record levels. Tracking methane “super emitters,” imposing taxes on livestock, all means are good at mitigating its effects.

CH4, better known as methane, is the second most important greenhouse gas. Although their emissions are much lower than those of_CO2, they are much more dangerous. Today, its concentration in the atmosphere is maximum. In 2021, methane emissions took an “unprecedented leap,” reaching a record high, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) revealed in a report released Wednesday, October 26. These figures, according to its Secretary General, Petteri Taalas, demonstrate “once again the enormous challenge – and the vital need – to act urgently to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and prevent further increases in global temperature in the future.”

An increase in methane emissions is not good news, since this super-polluting gas alone is responsible for 30% of global warming.

Although CO₂ accounts for nearly two-thirds of global greenhouse gas emissions, the methane problem is “at least as important as CO’s.₂“says Euan Nisbet, a researcher at Royal Holloway University of London and one of the leading experts on the climate impact of methane. In fact, this gas has a much higher heating power than carbon dioxide. “Compared to CO₂, molecule by molecule, methane is much more harmful to the climate,” warns this expert, since a particle of this gas traps 80 times more heat than carbon dioxide for twenty years.

For the WMO, the reason for this exceptional increase in methane levels compared to 2020 “is unclear, but it appears to be the result of both biological and human-induced processes.”

For Euan Nisbet, “the extreme and unexpected increase in atmospheric methane in the last two years is especially worrying” and scientists “are not sure why it is happening.” “The issue is very complex,” continues the British researcher. “We think it’s mainly due to biological causes, such as methane emission in wetlands or livestock.”

In search of solutions, sometimes unusual

Some countries are struggling to find solutions to reduce these bio-based methane emissions. In New Zealand, gas – emitted naturally in the form of farts and burps by the archipelago’s 6.2 million cows and 26 million sheep – is one of the country’s biggest environmental problems.

For this reason, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern decided to legislate and presented on Tuesday, October 11, a plan to introduce a tax on methane emissions from livestock, thus provoking the ire of New Zealand farmers. A week later, convoys of farm machinery converged on New Zealand’s major cities to ask the government to abandon its plan, now dubbed the “fart tax,” which, if implemented, would be a world first.

But, according to researcher Euan Nisbet, there are simpler measures that could be put in place to significantly reduce methane emissions globally. “What we can do quickly and cheaply would be, for example, stop burning crop residues or reduce methane emissions from landfills by covering them with soil.” Landfills can be a major source of methane, which is released as a result of decomposition.

Although it is believed that about 40% of the methane released into the atmosphere is of natural origin (livestock, wetlands, etc.), the role of humans in the emission of this gas has long been underestimated, and the fossil fuel sector is also believed to play an important role.

50 “super emitters”

A NASA mission has identified about 50 so-called methane “super emitters.” It’s an important and accidental discovery, which the U.S. space agency celebrated on Tuesday. These sites, mostly linked to the fossil fuel sector, are among the most methane polluting in the world.

Thanks to the EMIT mission, installed on the International Space Station, and its next-generation imaging spectrograph designed to observe the Earth, NASA was able to detect methane leaks “among the largest ever seen,” NASA researcher Andrew Thorpe said in a statement. “What we have found in such a short time already exceeds what we could imagine.”

In Turkmenistan, for example, the instrument identified 12 methane “plumes” coming from oil and gas infrastructure east of the port city of Hazar, some of which stretch more than 32 kilometers, and which would release 50,400 kilograms of methane per hour, according to NASA. In New Mexico (United States), EMIT detected another plume about three kilometers long from one of the largest oil fields in the world, which is estimated to produce 18,300 kilograms of methane per hour.

By locating the world’s largest methane leaks, this discovery could lead to a drastic reduction in methane emissions. “NASA’s discovery is extremely useful,” says researcher Euan Nisbet. “The satellite is essential for finding methane leaks in coal mines and gas fields. These leaks cost money to these “super emitters” and it is certain that they would like to be warned to put an end to this phenomenon. Reducing those leaks would also help tackle the_CO2 they contain.”

Lowering methane emissions: a crucial challenge for the Paris agreement

Methane is a gas that stays in the atmosphere for much less time than_CO2. “While carbon dioxide persists for centuries, methane stays in the atmosphere for about a decade,” says Euan Nisbet, for whom “getting rid of methane could slow global warming in the short term.” It is one of the gases that we can reduce faster. The researcher states that, if implemented, “measures to reduce human-made emissions would have a rapid impact.”

A reduction in methane emissions would even be crucial to meet the goals of the Paris climate agreement signed in 2015.

The problem is that the world’s two largest methane-emitting countries have so far failed to meet any methane reduction commitments.

According to figures cited by expert Euan Nisbet, China is the largest emitter in the world with about 89 million tons emitted per year and coming mainly from its coal industry. India emits approximately 32 million tons a year, mainly due to livestock farming, the coal industry and poor waste management. It is followed by the United States and Russia, with 31 and 35 tons of methane released into the atmosphere each year, respectively.

Although the United States has already pledged to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions at COP 26, “China and India, the largest emitters, can do much more,” says Euan Nisbet.

Therefore, commitments are expected in this area, especially because 10 days before COP 27, the UN warned on Wednesday that the world is still “very far” from the goals of the Paris Agreement, which limit global warming to 1.5ºC. According to the organization, current international commitments leave the Earth on a 2.6°C warming trajectory.

Source: France 24