Methane in Earth’s atmosphere rose by record amount last year, US government data shows

(The Guardian, 8 Apr 2022) Methane in Earth’s atmosphere rose by record amount last year, US government data shows.

Atmospheric levels of methane, a powerful greenhouse gas, increased by a record amount for the second year in a row in 2021, according to US government data.

The concentration of methane in the Earth’s atmosphere jumped by 17 parts per billion (ppb) in 2021, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (Noaa) monitoring found, the largest annual increase recorded since modern measurements began in 1983. The previous record increase, of 15.3ppb, was set in 2020.

While carbon dioxide emitted from the burning of fossil fuels can linger in the atmosphere and contribute towards global heating for generations, methane is far shorter lived.

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.

Rapid cuts in methane could help curb disastrous global heating, according to scientists, but the record increases in methane suggest it is being leaked from oil and gas drilling operations and released from agriculture at dangerous rates.

External link

The Guardian, 8 Apr 2022: Methane in Earth’s atmosphere rose by record amount last year, US government data shows