Cutting Methane Emissions: The Urgent Path to Mitigating Climate Change
With methane emissions being one of the biggest factors in the spike in global temperature, addressing this problem straight on will be the best or only way to make a significant impact towards climate change, before it has gone “too far.” Methane is removed from the atmosphere, naturally, within every 10 years. This means that if humans were to cut out all man-made emissions it could rapidly bring levels down. Over the past 20 years, humans have emitted more than 3 billion tons of methane, and slashing these emissions within the next decade or two could prevent a 0.5°C rise in global temperatures.
However, if the Earth keeps warming, reducing human emissions alone may not suffice. We may also need to address rising methane emissions from natural sources like warming tropical wetlands and the thawing Arctic. Tropical wetlands, including those in the Brazilian Amazon, emit the most methane due to their warm, wet, low-oxygen environments, which are ideal for methane-producing microbes. According to an article by The Guardian, a recent visit to the Mamirauá sustainable development reserve in the Amazon showed early signs of drought, with water levels alarmingly low.
Those signs were correct. Roughly two months later, the region faced an unprecedented drought, with Amazon water levels dropping to their lowest point since record-keeping began. Brazil’s environment minister, Marina Silva, described this as the collision of the natural El Niño and human-driven climate change. The drought triggered extreme heat, with temperatures exceeding 40°C or 104°F, drying rivers, and fueling thousands of fires across the Amazon. The impact on both people and wildlife was devastating, with river dolphins dying and communities cut off from essential resources due to low water levels.
On top of the critical conditions in the Amazon and Congo, the Arctic tundra and peatlands are also at risk. As permafrost thaws and Arctic soils warm, stored carbon could be released into the atmosphere either as carbon dioxide from fires or as methane from swampy conditions. Both scenarios are disastrous for the climate, with methane release being particularly catastrophic.
To mitigate methane emissions, we can start at home by replacing fossil gas with electric appliances and reducing our beef and dairy consumption. Heat pumps are more efficient than gas furnaces, and switching from gas stoves to induction can eliminate significant methane and indoor air pollutants. Reducing methane-intensive practices is essential for tackling climate change and safeguarding our planet for the future.
