Methane gas pollution is getting out of control
Methane is one of the natural gases, and it’s a stronger green house gas. Climate change effects are more noticeable because methane levels in the atmosphere are rising.
Because, methane has a warming effect 86 times stronger than CO 2 over 20 years. Over a 100-year period, methane is 28 times stronger.
A recent study found that in the past 20 years, only 2% of methane emissions originated from natural wetlands, while human activities accounted for about 18%.
Methane levels in the air are now 2.6 times higher than before 1750, the pre-industrial era. From burning fossil fuels to large-scale agricultural farms, humans are emitting more methane.
If methane pollution is not quickly controlled, the world will face the multifaceted effects of climate change. Such information was published in the international science journal ‘Environmental Research Letters’.
Rob Jackson, head of the Global Carbon Project and a climatologist at Stanford University, stated that methane poses a significant climate threat, yet the world is overlooking it.
Methane has entered the atmosphere the most in the past decade. By controlling methane, humans can make some headway in the fight against climate change.
Climate scientist Bill Hare states that global temperature rise should be limited to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels.
For this, the world’s carbon dioxide emissions should be reduced by almost half and methane by more than one-third. If current trends in methane emissions continue, global average temperatures could rise by 3°C. Various regions of Asia, especially China and India, are the largest emitters of methane.
Agriculture and rural wetlands are generally attributed as the main sources of methane gas in the world. Methane gas is now produced through the industrial sector, agriculture or waste and mixed water. Methane gas is making the air in villages and cities dangerous. At the same time it is increasing the temperature of the world.
A study shows that methane emissions from coal, oil, and gas extraction have increased by 33% over the past 20 years, primarily due to waste (20%) and agriculture (14%).
