Translated by Tara Horan
Methane and climate change – Why are cows to blame?
CO2 is what most people think of when it comes to climate change but other greenhouse gases are also harming the atmosphere through heating. Twenty-five times more powerful than carbon dioxide, methane plays a major role in the human-made greenhouse effect . Read on if you want to know how damaging methane emissions are for our climate and what you can do about it. s
What is methane and why is it a significant contributor to climate change?
What is the definition of methane?
Methane is an odourless gas that is invisible to the naked eye and chemically known by the formula CH4. It is emitted by a variety of sources. When cows digest their food, they produce large amounts of methane but it is also produced in wetlands, swamps or rice fields when plant residues are decomposed by microorganisms.
In Germany, carbon dioxide accounted for 87.1 percent of greenhouse gas emissions, methane for 6.5 percent, nitrous oxide for 4.6 percent and the F-gases for around 1.7 percent. But methane is 25 times more damaging to the climate than CO2 and thus has the potential to heat up the earth very quickly. According to some sources, methane has as much as 30 times the effect of CO2.
NASA shows where methane is emitted globally.
Image: NASAHow long does methane stay in the atmosphere?
Methane stays in the atmosphere for 12 years while CO2 can remain in the atmosphere for up to 1,000 years. However, since methane is 25 times more harmful than CO2, it is vital to reduce methane emissions.
Since methane only stays in the atmosphere for a relatively short period of time, we can greatly curb the climate-damaging effects of the gas by acting promptly.
How high are methane emissions globally?
In 2017, around 600 million tonnes of methane were emitted worldwide, a record high at that time. Since 2000, global methane methane emissions have increased by 50 million tonnes annually. From 2006 to 2017 methane emissions increased by 9%, according to an international study.
About 60 per cent of the world’s methane gas emissions are due to human activities. These include cattle breeding in particular, but rice cultivation, fossil fuel use, waste incineration, industry, and transport also contribute to increasing methane methane emissions.
Methane and CO2 compared
| Property | CO2 | Methane |
|---|---|---|
| How long does it stay in the atmosphere? | up to 1,000 years | approx 12 years |
| How damaging are the effects? | 1 CO2e | 25 CO2e* |
| What is the share of global greenhouse gases? | 81% | 11% |
| How high are yearly emissions? (2017) | 35 billion tonnes | 600 million tonnes |
| What are its sources? | Internal combustion engines, Coal-fired power plants | Agriculture |
Methane is 25 times more damaging to the climate as CO. CO2e is an abbreviation, in order to compare greenhouse gases with CO.
What are the main sources of methane emissions worldwide?
How do humans emit more methane into the atmosphere?
Humans are responsible for the emission of considerable amounts of of methane thus contributing to increased amounts the gas in the the atmosphere. Agriculture in particular produces huge methane emissions. In 2017, methane production in agriculture consisted of 227 million tonnes of CO2e. That comprised about 40% of global methane emissions. This is closely followed by closely followed by methane emissions from fossil sources, making up 108 million tonnes of tonnes of CO2e.
How much methane does a cow emit?
Cows emit methane, when they digest food. Cows emit wind every three minutes – making over 100 kg of methane per year.
What happens when the methane that lies beneath the permafrost is released?
Cows emit methane. But far more threatening is the possibility of the permafrost in the polar regions melting due to the climate crisis and releasing large amounts of CO2 and methane into the atmosphere. The permanently frozen soil in the Arctic Circle stores a trillion tonnes of carbon – a ticking time bomb in that sense.
If temperatures continue to rise, the polar caps will melt and the frozen methane in the permafrost will be released. This additional methane emissions contributes significantly to climate change causing a dangerous vicious circle. The methane released in turn leads to higher temperatures .
According to the Max Planck Institute, warmer temperatures are currently causing more vegetation to grow in these regions. However, if the climate crisis progresses, there will come a tipping point. Then methane emissions will rise exorbitantly.
When permafrost thaws, a large amount of methane is released.
Image: FOTOLIA / VLADIMIR MELNIKWhat can I do to reduce emissions of methane and other greenhouse gases?
In Europe there is a system called [EU emissions trading]/de/blog/emissionshandel-erklaert). All large companies that emit greenhouse gases have to participate in EU emissions trading. We at ForTomorrow are also taking part and have and have come up with a novel idea. By using ForTomorrow to buy emission rights from EU emissions trading, they are no longer available to be used by industry, i.e. we buy these emission rights, cancelling them in the process.
In this way, large companies that emit greenhouse gases will have no choice but to reduce their emissions. And you can get involved. If you join us in [buying and cancelling EU emission rights]/de/emissionsrechte), you can force industry to emit fewer greenhouse gases.