A coalition of scientists monitoring planet-warming pollution has made a concerning discovery about the rate of methane production, warning that more needs to be done to prevent Earth's temperatures from rising to dangerous levels, according to The Washington Post.
What's happening?
In September, the Global Carbon Project released its latest analysis, which is awaiting peer review, and revealed that, if things continue as they are, the atmosphere's methane levels will be too high for the world to realistically meet its pollution-reduction goals. Moreover, as a result, the world is edging closer to worst-case climate scenarios.
As detailed by the Post, methane releases grew by up to 20% from 2000 to 2020, with landfills, livestock production, coal mining, and natural gas the four sectors responsible for the largest increase in emissions of the potent heat-trapping gas.
The analysis also suggests that human disruption has caused natural ecosystems, including lakes and marshes, to release more methane than usual.
"These extra methane emissions bring the temperature thresholds ever closer," Global Carbon Project Chair Rob Jackson, a climate scientist at Stanford University, told the Post. "Warming that was once inconceivable is now perhaps likely."
Why is this concerning?
Warming temperatures are connected to life-threatening disruptions and economic losses in communities worldwide, with more intense extreme weather events, food insecurity, and the spread of deadly diseases among the devastating effects.
People might be more familiar with the importance of reducing carbon dioxide, or CO2, which accounts for nearly 80% of all pollution in the United States, per the Environmental Protection Agency. However, as the Post notes, while CO2 production has "plateaued" over the last 10 years, cutting down on methane releases is crucial because the potent gas traps around 30% more heat than CO2 over 100 years.
What's being done about methane production?
Even though Jackson told the Post that he was "worried that we're setting in motion natural processes that we can't control," the MethaneSAT satellite — launched in spring — is expected to help pinpoint where methane releases are occurring so that businesses and other entities can be held accountable.
"Soon, there will be no place to hide," Center for Strategic and International Studies climate expert Ben Cahill told the Post. "There's going to be a lot of public data on methane emissions, so companies will have very strong incentives to figure out the problem and fix it."
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One way individuals can contribute to a cooler future is by reducing food waste, as roughly one-third of food is lost or discarded globally. And when it rots in dumps, it produces methane.
Adopting practices such as making a list prior to grocery shopping and freezing perishables to keep them fresh longer won't just make a dent in that issue; it'll also put money back into your wallet, as the average American loses hundreds of dollars on unused food every year.
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