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Why did methane emissions spike in 2020?
Why in the News?
Global methane emissions reached roughly 15 parts per billion (ppb) in 2020 from 9.9 ppb in 2019, the study published in the journal Nature noted.
Reasons for the spike:
- Nitrogen oxide (NOx) can impact methane levels. In the troposphere — the upper part of the atmosphere — NOx combines with ozone to form hydroxyl radicals. These radicals remove 85 per cent of methane annually from the atmosphere.
- Nitrogen oxide enters the atmosphere from exhaust gases of cars and trucks as well as electrical power generation plants. Thus during the lockdown, Nitrogen oxide pollution was reduced drastically increasing methane levels.
- Precipitation over global wetlands showed a 2-11 per cent annual increase in 2020 relative to 2019. Water‐logged soils make conditions ripe for soil microorganisms, allowing them to produce more methane.
About Methane:
- Methane is short-lived, compared to carbon dioxide.
- Methane has more than 80 times the warming power of carbon dioxide over the first 20 years of its lifetime in the atmosphere.
- The common sources of methane are oil and natural gas systems, agricultural activities, coal mining and wastes.
