Scientists tell us that cutting methane emissions from the oil and gas industry, large-scale agriculture and other activities is the fastest way to slow the rate of warming right now, even as we continue to reduce CO2 and other greenhouse gases as quickly as possible. (Euractiv)
Policy makers worldwide have been slow to recognize the harm that methane does, or the opportunity that it now presents. But EU officials have a chance to unlock major methane reductions – not just within the bloc, but around the globe – if they take a comprehensive approach to mitigating these emissions in legislative proposals expected later this year.
By reducing emissions of methane — which has more than 80 times the warming power of CO2 over the first 20 years after it reaches the atmosphere — we can hit the brakes on the increasingly dangerous speed of warming that is responsible for stronger storms, longer droughts and rapidly melting Arctic sea ice.
Research published by Environmental Defense Fund scientist Ilissa Ocko shows that a rapid, full-scale effort to cut methane emissions from human sources could slow the worldwide rate of warming by as much as 30%.
Fully deploying known solutions across the six key sectors that are responsible for a majority of methane emissions could cut releases of the potent greenhouse gas in half by 2030, avoiding a 0.25 degree Celsius of additional global-mean warming by midcentury, and more than 0.5 C by 2100.
A half-degree C would make a critical difference in a world trying to keep warming below 2 C. It could mean 10 million fewer people at risk from sea level rise; half the number of people stressed for water and half the number of plant and animal species losing crucial habitat.
The findings are echoed in a new U.N. report which says that that human-caused methane emissions can be reduced by up to 45% this decade using currently available measures. It also indicated significant benefits for air quality and the economy, finding that methane action could prevent a quarter of a million premature deaths, 775,000 asthma-related hospital visits, 73 billion hours of lost labour due to extreme heat, and 26 million tonnes of crop losses annually.
