{"id":30561,"date":"2023-10-16T12:47:00","date_gmt":"2023-10-16T10:47:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/reclaimfinance.org\/site\/?p=30561"},"modified":"2023-10-16T12:47:00","modified_gmt":"2023-10-16T10:47:00","slug":"methane-an-imminent-threat-for-climate","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/reclaimfinance.org\/site\/en\/2023\/10\/16\/methane-an-imminent-threat-for-climate\/","title":{"rendered":"Methane: an imminent threat for climate"},"content":{"rendered":"

Methane is a short-lived but potent greenhouse gas which is the second largest contributor to global warming after CO2. It is estimated to account for 30% of human-induced warming since the pre-industrial era (1). Because methane is on average 80 times more powerful a greenhouse gas (GHG) than CO2 over a 20-year period, it offers a quick and impactful way to mitigate short-term global warming. This is key to limiting the risk of crossing irreversible climate tipping points in coming decades. Furthermore, as methane\u2019s climate impact is focused over short-term and currently minimized by standard GHG accounting in CO2e, we recommend companies and financial institutions set separate and specific targets for reducing both their CO2 and methane emissions.<\/b><\/p>\n<\/div>

Warming due to anthropogenic methane emissions<\/h2><\/span>
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30%<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

Methane has contributed 30% of global warming since the pre-industrial era<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>

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Methane (CH4) is a naturally occurring molecule, and has fossil and biogenic sources. Fossil methane is the main component of fossil gas and is found in underground deposits, while biogenic methane is naturally emitted by chemical reactions taking place in various living organisms including cattle and ants, in decaying biomass and garbage, and in wetlands and water reservoirs. Over the last century, however, methane atmospheric concentration has doubled and is still growing, pulled up by human activities. (2) Recent studies suggest they represent 50% to 63% of global annual methane emissions, or around 372 Mt out of 587 Mt to 742 Mt. (3) As a result, methane has contributed 30% of global warming since the pre-industrial era according to United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) estimates. (4)<\/p>\n<\/div>

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CH4 trend: Globally-averaged atmospheric methane abundance determined from marine surface sites since 1983, from NOAA Global Monaitoring Laboratory. (5)<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>

\"CH4<\/span><\/div><\/div>

Agriculture, fossil fuels and waste are the leading sources of human-induced methane emissions.<\/p>\n