Learn how reducing emissions of methane can be an important step in the fight against climate change, as well as its impact on human health, and crop production. This detailed blog investigates the most recent research and global efforts being made to counteract this overlooked greenhouse gas.
Climate Fixers: The Little-Known Iron Masters That Pull C02 From Ocean Sediments
Plenty of us are aware about the effects of carbon dioxide (CO2) on climate but how many are aware that methane is an even more potent greenhouse gas? In fact, methane is causing over 40% of recent global warming so it is a critical piece in the climate change battle.
Methane decays in the atmosphere, with a lifetime of only about 12 years, compared to centuries for CO2. This also suggests that curtailing methane can cause the global temperature to come down relatively faster. Exciting news is that the sources of methane are fairly common sense and require immediate attention.
The Silent Killer: Tropospheric Ozone
Methane not only is a leading greenhouse gas but it also is the primary precursor to ground-level (tropospheric) ozone, a hazardous air pollutant. Although the ozone layer in the upper part of the atmosphere helps shield us from dangerous ultraviolet light, ozone at ground level can be very risky both in terms of human health and environmental impact.
According to recent estimates exposure to ozone that is harmful to health causes some one million premature deaths every year, among which 24,000 only in the European Union. Methane accounts for 35% of all the world’s in particular deadly ozone gas, and 37 % inside the european. In the absence of mitigation measures, these ozone-attributable deaths are expected to rise by at least 7 percent even under the lowest greenhouse-gas emissions scenario.
In addition, tropospheric ozone has wider-ranging effects than those just on human health, such as crop damage and damage to natural vegetation. They estimate high methane emissions from rice paddies could cut grain yields by up to $566 million by 2050. But by massively curtailing local spread, these losses may be slashed substantially, offering the possibility of savings to the tune of up to $48 million in Europe alone.
Conclusion
Addressing climate change itself and its consequences for human health, as well as food security requires a whole-of-society approach. Even though decreasing carbon dioxide emissions is our main focus, the research discussed in this blog shows that cutting methane emissions can still drastically benefit us, and fast. Through adopting international efforts such as the Global Methane Pledge and translating these into specific actions, we can make meaningful headway in slowing global warming while also reducing air pollution exposure and preserving our critical food systems. The opportunity cost is high, and we are running out of time.
