Methane emissions are at new highs. It could put us on a dangerous climate path

After carbon dioxide, methane is the second most important greenhouse gas contributing to human-caused global warming. Although human activities emit far less methane than carbon dioxide in real terms, methane has a hidden effect – it is 80 times more effective than CO₂ at trapping heat in the first two decades after it enters the atmosphere.

Since the pre-industrial era, the world has warmed by 1.2°C (average over the last 10 years). According to the latest reports from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), methane is responsible for approximately 0.5°C of warming.

In the atmosphere, methane quickly mixes with oxygen and turns into carbon dioxide and water. In contrast, carbon dioxide is a much more stable molecule and will remain in the atmosphere trapping heat for thousands of years before being absorbed by the ocean and plants.

The combination of short lifetime and extreme efficiency makes methane an excellent candidate for a rapid solution to climate change. ( Pep Canadell , CSIRO , Marielle Saunois , Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines (UVSQ) – Université Paris-Saclay , Rob Jackson , Stanford University, more at theconversation.com)