Feature: Why we must reduce methane emissions now to solve the climate crisis

The importance of methane has been underestimated and overshadowed by the urgent need to reduce carbon dioxide emissions. Climate actions to reduce methane are often included as ‘CO₂ equivalents’ in national climate plans, like in commitments made by countries in the Paris Climate Agreement. But the impact of methane and carbon dioxide are not equivalent. While the focus to reduce climate change has rightly been placed on carbon dioxide, methane is the second most important greenhouse gas that has given rise to the warming experienced to date, and is also a major precursor of ground-level ozone formation, a pollutant that negatively impacts health and crop yields.

The atmospheric concentration of methane is increasing faster now than at any time since the 1980s, with more than 50% of global methane emissions stemming from human activities in the fossil fuel, waste and agriculture sectors. Compared to carbon dioxide, methane however is relatively short-lived in the atmosphere, with a lifetime of about 12 years. This means that taking action now can quickly reduce methane concentrations, resulting in a similarly rapid reduction in warming of the climate.

By using five state-of-the-art modelling tools, the new Global Methane Assessment identifies important opportunities to reduce the rate of global warming and achieve significant health and development benefits by specifically reducing methane emissions from human sources.

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