A US government data has shown that atmospheric levels of methane, which is used to describe a powerful greenhouse gas, increased by a record amount for the second year in a row in 2021.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (Noaa) monitoring found which released the data, found that the concentration of methane in the Earth’s atmosphere jumped by 17 parts per billion (ppb) in 2021, which is the largest annual increase recorded since modern measurements began in 1983.
The previous record increase, of 15.3ppb, was set in 2020.
The data showed that while carbon dioxide emitted from the burning of fossil fuels can linger in the atmosphere and contribute to global heating for generations, methane is far shorter-lived.
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“Methane, however, is also far more potent as a greenhouse gas: it is 25 times more powerful at trapping heat and acts as a significant short-term driver of the climate crisis. Climate activists say that methane is a “blow torch” to the climate, compared with the gradual boil provided by CO2” the data further found.
In his response, Rick Spinrad, administrator of Noaa said “our data show that global emissions continue to move in the wrong direction at a rapid pace,”. “The evidence is consistent, alarming, and undeniable.”
Methane comes from a variety of sources, from the decay of organic matter in wetlands to the burps of cows, and it is uncertain what exactly is behind the large increases in emissions.
A powerful UN climate report released this week warned that methane emissions must be cut by a third if the world is to avoid catastrophic temperature increases.
In the report, scientists said that as much as 0.3C of global temperature rise could be averted if methane emissions were slashed.
“Reducing methane emissions is an important tool we can use right now to lessen the impacts of climate change in the near term and reduce the rate of warming,” Spinrad said.
Story was adapted from the Guardian.
