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Methane emissions also arise in agriculture
Photo: Thomas Trutschel / Photothek / Getty Images
Fighting the climate crisis is no longer just about CO₂ - it is also about many other greenhouse gases. The most important after carbon dioxide is methane, chemically CH4. The odorless and colorless gas, the main component of natural gas, finds its way into the atmosphere both naturally and through man-made processes - for example through leaks in pipelines and gas systems. In the atmosphere, methane is much more harmful to the climate than carbon dioxide. But the extremely flammable substance only lasts there for a little more than twelve years, which is much shorter than carbon dioxide.
Nevertheless, man-made methane emissions are making a decisive contribution to global warming, as atmospheric concentrations have increased in recent years. If methane emissions could be reduced quickly, this could slow the global warming by 30 percent, researchers recently calculated.
Now, a study by Philip Duffy researchers from the Woodwell Climate Research Center in the US state of Massachusetts on behalf of the management consultancy McKinsey underscores the important role methane emissions play. In order to be able to guarantee compliance with the Paris climate target of a maximum global warming of 1.5 degrees if possible, the global community would have to achieve a considerable reduction in gas emissions. According to the study, 37 percent less will be released into the atmosphere by 2030 and 55 percent by 2050. But: If methane emissions continue to rise at the current rate, the warming caused by methane alone would make reaching the 1.5-degree target impossible, they say.
The work also takes a look at the largest methane separators.
Around 380 million tons of methane are released globally each year, almost all of which come from five industries: Agriculture emits 40 to 50 percent of global methane emissions, the oil and gas industry around 20 to 25 percent, and coal mining 10 to 15 percent.
In addition, there is waste and wastewater management, each with seven to ten percent.
Sewage works and landfills are also a source in Germany, but most of them are released in agriculture and forestry, especially in factory farming when cattle and other ruminants digest.
Great effect for little cost
But the report gives cause for hope. It is said that the reduction in methane emissions is not only possible, it would also be comparatively inexpensive to achieve. Based on the current possibilities and converted to carbon dioxide equivalents, one tonne of CO₂ could be avoided for less than 25 US dollars. The researchers used a conversion key of 84 tons of carbon dioxide per ton of methane as a basis.
In general, the authors see great potential for savings when it comes to avoiding methane emissions. The five key industries can reduce their emissions by 46 percent by 2030 by using technologies that are already available. This almost coincides with a report by the UN environmental program Unep, which was published this year and which sees the reduction of methane as the simplest measure to effectively slow down climate change in the coming decades.
Measures that do not even require the use of new, innovative technologies or special investments include, for example, simply avoiding leaks in the production of gas and oil by working more precisely.
The operators would also benefit from this, because they too lose considerable amounts of the coveted raw material through ailing hardware.
Algae feed - less methane
If one wants to achieve a greater methane reduction by 2030, the consumer is also asked, according to the current work.
In agriculture, there will then be less demand for meat products, which would probably be associated with a change in diet to alternative proteins.
And in the energy sector you would have to look for alternatives to gas and oil and switch to clean fuels - and all of this at a significantly faster pace than is currently the case.
In agriculture, technical solutions are also being worked on.
Researchers had discovered, for example, that cows release less methane when they eat food with algae.
joe