Environment

Report: Reducing methane emissions key to fighting climate change and harmful ozone layer

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Many human activities release methane into the atmosphere. Agriculture, landfills, wastewater, and fossil fuel production and distribution are the largest sources of methane. These account for approximately 60% of global methane emissions, with the remaining 40% coming from natural sources.

Like carbon dioxide (CO2), methane is a potent greenhouse gas and is estimated to be responsible for more than 40% of recent global warming. However, methane’s atmospheric lifetime (the time it takes to break down into other substances) is only about 12 years, which is much shorter than CO2.

This means that reducing methane emissions could help slow the rise in global temperatures faster than CO2.

Methane also contributes to ground-level (tropospheric) ozone, a dangerous air pollutant. Most people know that the ozone layer in the upper atmosphere helps protect us from the sun’s harmful ultraviolet rays, and after decades of decline in the ozone layer, efforts have been made to protect it.

However, ozone released to the ground can be very harmful as it reacts violently with lung tissue, causing respiratory diseases in humans as well as damaging crops and natural vegetation. Recent estimates suggest that exposure to harmful tropospheric ozone causes around one million premature deaths each year, of which 24,000 are in the EU.

A new JRC paper highlights how studying these impacts and acting quickly can help limit climate warming, improve human health and increase crop yields.

Methane’s impact on ozone

While natural phenomena (not due to human activities) are the largest contributor to ozone concentrations, the study found that methane is responsible for 35% of harmful ozone globally and around 37% in the EU. Globally, ozone-related mortality from methane emissions is projected to increase by at least 7% by 2050 compared to 2015, even under the most stringent reduction scenarios.

Reducing methane emissions would also help mitigate ozone damage to crops: the study estimates that if methane emissions remain high, crop yields could be reduced by $404 million to $566 million by 2050. Meanwhile, strong measures, linked to a “high mitigation scenario,” could significantly reduce these losses, saving $39 million to $48 million in Europe alone.

International commitments

The Global Methane Pledge, announced by the European Union and the United States at COP26, is a joint, voluntary commitment to reduce global anthropogenic methane emissions by at least 30% below 2020 levels by 2030. Currently, 158 countries and the European Union have joined the pledge.

In 2020, the EU adopted a comprehensive plan to reduce methane emissions, the Methane Strategy, which focuses EU and international efforts, particularly in the energy, agriculture, waste and wastewater sectors. The following year, new EU regulations were agreed to reduce methane emissions from the energy sector, both within Europe and in global supply chains.

Positive impact on society

European policymakers and national governments need reliable scientific evidence on which to base their decisions. The importance of reducing methane emissions has been known for some time, but it is crucial to understand how great the costs of inaction are and how great the benefits of taking action in the short term are.

This study shows that by reducing methane emissions today, we can fight climate change, strengthen our economy, improve people’s health, relieve the strain on our overburdened health care system, and help our citizens live better lives.

Further information: Trends in methane emissions at European and global level and their impact on ozone concentrations. op.europa.eu/publication/manif … ier/PUB_KJNA32005ENN

Provided by the European Commission Joint Research Center (JRC)

Citation: Report: Reducing Methane Emissions Key to Fighting Climate Change and Harmful Ozone Depletion (September 23, 2024) Retrieved September 23, 2024 from https://phys.org/news/2024-09-methane-emissions-key-climate-ozone.html

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