In recent years, methane emissions have risen to a record high. The investigations of an international team of researchers show. The scientists updated the data of four years ago published the Global Methane budget.
your result: In the year 2017 were issued to nine percent more methane in the atmosphere than on average in the years of the comparison period from 2000 to 2006. The concentration of the gas in the atmosphere has increased from vorindustriell 694 ppb (Parts per Billion to German “parts per billion”) to 1.875 ppb in 2019. The result of The strong increase in methane emissions could lead to global warming until the end of the century by three to four degrees.
In the case of methane is a highly potent greenhouse gas, whose emissions play an important role in global warming. They originate both from natural processes that are released from volcanic activity, in swamps and permafrost-free. To 60 percent, whereas the people responsible for the emissions, such as through the use of fossil fuels, cattle breeding, rice cultivation, or the combustion of biomass.
see also: Mega-methane leakage in the Antarctic discovered – now a devastating climate-cascade
For the climate-target: methane emissions threatens would have a 35 percent lower
The 1.5-degree of fail-special report of the world climate Council IPCC shows the methane emissions must be in 2050 to 35 percent lower compared to the emissions in the year 2010 – if 1.5 degrees to stay on target to reach. Emissions continue to rise, we must reckon instead with a warming of up to four degrees.
The largest contribution to the rise in methane emissions in regions in tropical Latitudes, such as Brazil, South Asia, and Southeast Asia, followed by regions in the North mid-Latitudes, such as the USA and China. Europe is the only Region in the world where the methane emissions are on the decline.
This is a major step – back, we must not sit still, say experts. “The reported emissions are only territorial emissions. Emissions caused by European consumption behavior, for example, by the purchase of fossil fuels from Russia or the middle East, and beef from South America, are not counted towards Europe“, restricts André Butz from the Institute for environmental physics of Heidelberg University, the importance of the return.
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Europe as a model for other countries in the fight against global warming
in this respect, the development is to slightly lower methane emissions in Europe well, but don’t grasp fully the global contributions of the Europeans. “ A change in consumer behavior – for example, towards less meat – can work both in territorial and global. In addition, also in Europe there are still a lot of potential, direct methane emissions, for example, in the case of coal-, Gas – and Oil production in Eastern Europe to reduce “, emphasizing the environmental physicist.
to reduce However, Europe can act in some respects as a model to other countries the methane emissions. “It can’t hurt to be a role model and show others what can be achieved”, emphasised Torsten Sachs, head of the working group of Earth-Atmosphere Interactions in Potsdam. “ If you show that, even without coal power, the lights do not go out the same, others may be easier to convince .”
However, one has to carry – if, for example, coal was replaced by Gas ensure that the Gas infrastructure is as low as possible leakage-Rates – “otherwise, the cleaner-burning Gas in the end is not clean,” explains Sachs. More on the topic of climate 51 million hectares of forest Europe can be planting trees to stop climate change oceans as warm as never before: The Ecosystems dead zones Professor threaten, now disillusioned, says climate activists: “these are naive, immature word More than three million Germans sleeves” threatened due to climate change, the loss of the home to arguments refuted: What you skeptics of Climate on crude theories of Dangerous tipping points should answer: What happens if we do not comply with the 1.5-degree target
consumers can contribute to the reduction of methane-emissions
“the Extent to which Europe can play through the exertion of political influence as a pioneer, can’t judge,” adds Anke Roiger from the Institute of physics of the atmospheres at the German center for air and space travel. “What is certain is that the policy must take the necessary measures in order to reduce anthropogenic methane emissions in a sustainable way.”
And this is not only of the industry, to set in the future on renewable energies and resource conservation. the consumer can do something. “He can help the most direct way to a reduction in methane emissions, in which he renounces meat, particularly Beef,” says Roiger. Because a very large part of the anthropogenic, human-made methane emissions generated during the digestion process in the stomach of ruminants.
so Far, no impacts from thawing permafrost soils
more recently, the effects of thawing of permafrost soils discussed. According to the researchers who calculated the Global Methane Budget, to leave these, as yet, no visible Signal in methane emissions. That may change further, according to the experts, however, in the future.
Christina skull, science coordinator of the Permafrost Carbon Network at Northern Arizona University, for instance, declared: “It will show up in the longer term, whether and how methane emissions from permafrost soils will increase, because there is little doubt that with continued increasing temperatures, more and more Permafrost is thawing, which inevitably leads to additional greenhouse gas emissions.”
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