Climate Adaptation
Cow Burps, Leaky Pipelines Put Earth on High-End Warming Track
- Methane emissions rose by 9% in last decade, new study says
- Its warming potential is 28 times that of equivalent CO2
Beef cattle stand in a feedlot in Floresville, Texas.
Photographer: Daniel Acker/BloombergThis article is for subscribers only.
Global emissions of methane, a greenhouse gas multiple times more potent than CO2, rose by 9% in the decade through 2017, putting Earth on a track to warm by more than 3 degrees Celsius by the end of the century, according to an international study scheduled to be released Wednesday.
Atmospheric levels of the gas -- emitted by digesting cows, leaky gas pipelines and natural sources such as wetlands -- have increased 2 1/2 times from pre-industrial levels, researcher Marielle Saunois said in a press briefing in Paris. Human activity accounts for about 60% of methane emissions, led by growing herds of livestock and emissions linked to oil and gas production.