Scientists now know that methane is much more potent than carbon dioxide as a greenhouse gas in the short term
Methane emissions have emerged as a top threat to the global climate, with scientists and policymakers calling for aggressive action to curb the output.Glasgow, Scotland, more than 100 countries pledged a 30% cut from 2020 methane-emissions levels by 2030. But few have since carved out clear plans to reach that goal.
Research increasingly shows that reducing emissions of methane is vital to keeping planetary warming to within 2°C above pre-industrial times to avert the worst impacts of climate change.After being largely ignored for decades, scientists now know that methane is much more potent than carbon dioxide as a greenhouse gas in the short term, even though it lingers for only a decade in the atmosphere before breaking down while CO2 lingers for centuries.
“If I thought we had 100 years to deal with climate change, I’d be an awful lot more relaxed about it,” Mike Berners-Lee, expert and author on carbon footprints, said. “If you’re interested in the climate impacts we’ll be experiencing in 2050 ... you’d be absolutely screaming about methane emissions.”
If you’re interested in the climate impacts we’ll be experiencing in 2050 ... you’d be absolutely screaming about methane emissions.Of the human-caused emissions, two-thirds are from livestock farming and fossil fuels, with much of the rest from decomposing waste, as well as rice cultivation, Climate & Clean Air CoalitionBut emitters have not kept good records, and scientists trying to improve them in the past decade have had a shock.
But factor in gas industry leaks from drill pads, pipelines, compressors and other infrastructure, and those gains can quickly be erased.
South Africa Latest News, South Africa Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Business Maverick: Thirty companies emit nearly half the energy sector’s methaneJust 30 fossil fuel companies account for nearly half of the planet-warming methane emitted by the world’s energy sector, according to a new analysis by Global Energy Monitor.
Read more »
Psychedelics show promise in treating depression: studyFor years, scientists have been looking ever more seriously at the therapeutic effect of psychedelics.
Read more »
African scientists prepare to offer home-grown solutions to global climate challenges - SABC News - Breaking news, special reports, world, business, sport coverage of all South African current events. Africa's news leader.All roads lead to Egypt for the COP27 climate talks. For 12 days, world leaders, climate scientists, negotiators, activists, and other stakeholders will take stock of the planet’s future.
Read more »
University of Pretoria scientist in fight to save Antarctic's Southern OceanA University of Pretoria macro-ecologist has joined a global campaign to save the Southern Ocean around the Antarctic which scientists say needs urgent protection for the sake of the rest of the world.
Read more »
Thawing permafrost creates new lakes, increases CO2 emissions - IT-OnlineSince 2015, scientists participating in NASA’s Arctic Boreal Vulnerability Experiment (ABoVE) have been studying the impacts of climate change on Earth’s far northern regions and how those changes are intertwined. As our planet warms, permafrost – layers of soil that have stayed frozen for at least two years – thaws at an accelerating rate. This is changing […]
Read more »