With another heat wave radiating across Texas and an unsettling energy conservation alert, courtesy of ERCOT, it’s prudent to consider the cause of these extreme temperatures. The answer is climate change; as confirmed by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and supported by thousands of climate change experts. Popular education has helped the public to understand carbon dioxide (CO2) to be the most abundant greenhouse gas and the primary culprit in climate change; however, according to a new study in Nature Communications, methane—the second-most abundant greenhouse gas—might be more deadly than previously thought.
What is methane?
Methane is an extremely potent flammable gas and one of several greenhouse gases that contribute to climate change by increasing the earth’s temperature. Methane can be emitted from various human activities—60%—like natural gas extraction, agricultural production, and landfills, as well as from natural sources—40%—such as wetlands.
Methane is the second most abundant greenhouse gas, just behind carbon dioxide, accounting for 20% of global emissions. However, what makes methane so deadly is that it’s 25 times as effective at trapping heat in the atmosphere compared to carbon dioxide.
Who are the top polluters?
According to the International Energy Agency’s Global Methane Tracker, as of 2021, China, India, the United States, and Russia make up the top four emitters of methane. Out of the four, only the United States is a part of the Global Methane Pledge—a global commitment to reduce global methane emissions by 30% from 2020 levels by 2030.
What are the adverse effects of methane?
In addition to being a deadly environmental pollutant, methane also harms public health. The greenhouse gas contributes to worsening air quality by releasing smog and volatile organic compounds into the atmosphere, aggravating asthma and increasing the risk of lung disease. Toxic chemicals released alongside methane, such as benzene and hydrogen sulfide, exacerbate cancer, damage the immune system, and cause respiratory issues.
Additionally, greenhouse gasses like methane warm our planet, increasing the likelihood of extreme weather events like powerful hurricanes, floods, and severe droughts. Therefore, methane directly threatens human well-being and secure access to clean air, safe drinking water, food, and shelter.
What is new?
New research published in Nature Communication suggests global warming is “four times more influential in accelerating methane emissions than previously estimated.” Researchers at Nanyang Technological University Singapore used four decades of climate data to study the effects of temperature change and rain on the atmospheric concertation of methane. They found that Earth could be producing more methane from natural sources and removing less of it, thereby increasing the overall atmospheric concentration of the gas.
Before 2007, atmospheric concentrations of methane had been relatively stable but accelerated, with a record high in 2020, despite a decline in methane emissions from fossil fuels. The report’s findings suggest that because of global warming, natural sources of methane that are emitted from wetlands are producing more of the gas due to the environmental conditions of increased temperatures and rain. Additionally, the report suggests that there has been a slowdown in the removal of atmospheric methane because of the reduction of hydroxyl radicals, which break down methane.
What now?
This study demonstrates methane’s significant role in global warming, alluding to the need for pollution mitigation. A reduction in anthropogenic climate change can help prevent the environmental conditions that contribute to an increase in methane emissions from natural sources. To do so, top emitter countries need to join the global methane pledge. With each newly published climate study, the effects of climate change worsen, calling for necessary and aggressive global climate action.