A new study found that methane pollution is increasing at its fastest pace in decades, and researchers have warned we need to take immediate action.
What's happening?
Methane pollution began rapidly increasing around 2006, and it is set to continue climbing throughout the 2020s unless we make drastic changes, detailed the Guardian.
The new paper, published in Frontiers in Science, noted that methane pollution has caused half the global heating we already have. While governments have been focused on carbon dioxide reduction (and for good reason), not enough is being done to address methane.
Drew Shindell, a climate scientist at Duke University and lead author of the study said: "The growth rate of methane is accelerating, which is worrisome … It's made the job of tackling anthropogenic warming all the more challenging."
The scientists found that while there isn't a clear single reason for the rise, there are many contributors. An increase in fracking, new gas projects, and animal agriculture (there's a lot of methane in cow burps) are all part of the problem.
Researchers also believe an expansion of rice production is a smaller contributor to the issue. In wetlands, the rising global temperatures have caused faster decomposition of organic matter, releasing more methane.
Why is reducing methane important?
Methane has 80 times the warming power of carbon dioxide within the initial 20 years after it hits the atmosphere. While CO2 can stay in the atmosphere for up to thousands of years, methane remains for a much shorter time.
If we can significantly lower methane pollution now, in 30 years we would see a drastic reduction in methane in the atmosphere. Curbing CO2 pollution is critical, and tackling methane as well will expedite results.
"Methane is the strongest lever we can quickly pull to reduce warming between now and 2050," said Shindell. "Reducing CO2 will protect our grandchildren — reducing methane will protect us now."
What's being done about methane pollution?
The United States and the European Union began a new initiative in 2021 that calls for a collective 30% cut in methane pollution by 2030. The agreement, called the Global Methane Pledge, has expanded to include 158 countries in total.
While experts think that goal is possible, we'll need to grow our efforts to get there.
In July, the White House held a summit that outlined actions for cutting super-pollutants including methane. The Inflation Reduction Act also encourages homeowners to make green updates, such as installing an induction stove, which would lower methane pollution.
Even small actions like composting your food scraps can inch us closer to a cleaner future.
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