Humanity’s Methane Problem Could Be Way Bigger Than Scientists Thought

Fossil-fuel production may be responsible for much more atmospheric methane than scientists previously thought, according to new research published today in the journal Nature. The results, if they hold, suggest that methane needs to be managed even more tightly than was accounted for in multilateral initiatives such as the 2015 Paris Agreement—not to mention many policies on the national and local level.

Scientists aren’t challenging the top-line amount of fossil methane that enters the atmosphere every year—that number stays at about 194 million metric tons, says Benjamin Hmiel, a post-doctoral fellow in Earth science at the University of Rochester and the study’s lead author. Rather, they’re challenging how much of the total comes from natural versus industrial sources, an important distinction for policy-makers.