Methane is a greenhouse gas that is found in the atmosphere and contributes to global warming. It has been identified as a potential contributor to climate change, but its true scope is unclear. Methane is a natural gas that is produced from the combustion of fossil fuels, such as oil and coal. This gas is released into the atmosphere after the burning of these fuels.
Natural gas
Natural gas is one of the most common sources of energy, but it has a high carbon footprint. Its emissions are not limited to transmission and production, but also include the combustion of natural gas to generate energy. By 2020, gas is expected to have a carbon footprint almost twice as large as coal. In the United States, gas accounted for 36 percent of all energy-related CO2 emissions, and the pollution from gas power plants has doubled in the last 15 years.
The main component of natural gas is methane, which has a strong effect as a greenhouse gas. Although it is difficult to calculate exactly how much methane is released into the atmosphere, the federal government, Colorado State University, and Environmental Defense Fund estimate leakage rates at between one to four percent. These leaks increase ratepayer costs and negate the climate benefits of switching to natural gas. Furthermore, many natural gas producers intentionally release methane into the atmosphere through venting and flaring.
Another problem associated with natural gas production is its extraction. Many natural gas fields use the controversial technique known as hydraulic fracturing (fracking). This process involves drilling deep into the earth to force open rock fissures. This process has the potential to contaminate groundwater supplies. Moreover, methane is one of the most powerful greenhouse gases, with a 120 times greater capacity than CO2, making it a major contributor to global warming.
However, this issue is not limited to natural gas. Methane is a greenhouse gas that can be found in cows, which are one of the biggest sources of this greenhouse gas. Methane emissions are also a contributing factor to climate change, and this is why alternative energy sources like solar power are increasingly popular.
Coal
The global warming potential of methane emissions from coal is higher than that of natural gas. Although coal produces higher emissions per unit of energy, its footprint is lower than that of natural gas. However, at a twenty-year time horizon, natural gas is still more greenhouse gas intensive than coal, at least at the low end of the methane emission range. With today’s available technologies, methane emissions per unit of electricity generated by natural gas are about half that of coal.
In addition to methane, coal mining also produces a large amount of carbon dioxide. Today, China is the world’s biggest emitter of carbon dioxide, with more than 1,100 coal-fired power plants. By 2020, China is expected to generate 60 percent of its power from coal. By contrast, the United States will only produce 19 percent of its energy from coal.
Methane is a potent greenhouse gas and the second largest contributor to climate change, after carbon dioxide. It can cause up to 80 times as much global warming than carbon dioxide during its first twenty years. It builds up over millions of years in coal seams as organic matter is converted to coal.
While methane emissions have increased by 25 percent in the last two decades, the current trajectory falls far short of the 2 percent reduction required to meet the Paris Agreement goals. However, the use of proven technologies can help reduce methane emissions by up to 46 percent by 2030 and nearly 60 percent by 2050.
Fuel switching can reduce emissions, but the effectiveness of fuel switching depends on the details of the fuel supply chain. Using natural gas as an alternative to coal can reduce methane emissions.
Oil
Methane is a potent greenhouse gas that is produced during the extraction of oil and gas. In fact, the emissions of methane from the Permian Basin are comparable to those of 260 Tg a-1 of CO2 over a 20-year time horizon. In addition, it has a global warming potential of 96 over the same time period. This is approximately equivalent to the annual emissions of the residential sector in the U.S.
There are some methods that can help to reduce methane emissions. For example, the use of new technology is helping fossil-fuel companies to detect leaks and reduce the amount of wasted natural gas. The scientific community is beginning to develop an accurate picture of how greenhouse gas emissions are distributed. For example, some oil fields are more environmentally-friendly than others.
Methane is a major component of natural gas and is a primary greenhouse gas. It is emitted from oil and gas fields and other natural gas extraction processes. This gas is highly potent and has a relatively short atmospheric lifetime. According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, methane emissions have been responsible for about 0.5 degrees of global warming since the 19th century. Methane is estimated to account for 11 percent of the global warming effects projected for 2020.
A recent space-borne sensor called the Tropospheric Monitoring Instrument is helping scientists understand how methane emissions are changing over time. It has been used to measure the emissions from the Permian Basin, which has become the most prolific oil-producing region in the world in recent years.
Deforestation
Deforestation releases methane, which has 80 times more heat-trapping capacity than carbon dioxide. Consequently, it’s crucial to prevent deforestation in order to limit carbon emissions. Deforestation also depletes forests’ ability to absorb future greenhouse gases. Stopping methane emissions by 2030 would be the equivalent of eliminating all carbon dioxide emissions from burning natural gas today. Fortunately, more than a hundred countries have committed to reducing methane emissions by 30 percent by 2030.
But there is still a lot of disagreement over the issue. Environmentalists are worried about the level of protection for biodiversity and indigenous communities, and they also want to see new policies with concrete targets for preventing deforestation. But the Copenhagen talks failed to produce a final agreement on these issues, allowing the debate to continue.
Currently, most forestry projects have focused on fast-growing mono-species plantations, which have known carbon measurements and growing potential. Meanwhile, native trees offer little or no carbon-mitigating potential. While plantation projects can reduce greenhouse gases, environmentalists are concerned that they will lead to deforestation of existing forests. This can undermine climate goals, as existing forests offer benefits far beyond carbon mitigation.
The amount of forest lost globally is increasing. According to the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation, between 1990 and 2015, 129 million hectares of forest were destroyed. Though the annual net loss has decreased, the rate of forest loss has increased by nearly 50 percent. Many of the largest losses are attributed to agribusiness, which clears forests for high-value cash crops. Livestock ranching also causes large amounts of deforestation.
The Paris Climate Agreement aims to stop deforestation by 2030. This goal is a more ambitious target than the 2014 New York Declaration on Forests. However, it is not the first time countries have made such promises.
Cattle
Methane is a greenhouse gas produced by cattle during enteric fermentation, a process in which sugars are converted to simpler molecules. Its release is a by-product of this process, which also produces carbon dioxide. A portion of this methane is released from the cow’s large intestine, and the rest is produced by the cow’s settling ponds, which are responsible for processing the manure.
Methane has a short life span and decays in the atmosphere at a similar rate to its production. Hence, the rate of change of methane emissions is relevant to the warming process. The rate of emission is the main determinant of the methane warming effect. The higher the rate, the more warming will occur.
In the United States, cows are one of the leading sources of methane emissions. The EPA estimates that cattle contribute to almost two percent of all U.S. emissions. This makes them among the most climate-unfriendly food sources in the world. But the EPA does not disclose the exact amount of methane emissions from beef production in the U.S.
Methane emissions from cattle production are a big concern for the environment. Many countries are making pledges to reduce their emissions by 30% and to end deforestation by 2030. By reducing their emissions, cattle can be part of a solution for both goals. For now, researchers at the Mitloehner lab are analyzing how beef production in the United States works and developing methods for making beef feed less gassy.
