Methane: More Potent, Less Persistent

Relevance: GS3 - Conservation, environmental pollution and degradation

(Source: The Hindu, 12/04/2023)

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Why in the news?

Recently, a group of philanthropic bodies including the Sequoia Climate Foundation and the Bezos Earth Fund announced they would invest $450 million in solutions to tackle methane emissions.

What is methane?

• Methane is one of the major greenhouse gases with a greater warming potential than carbon dioxide but a shorter life.
• Methane is a simple organic hydrocarbon.
• One molecule of methane (CH4) consists of one atom of carbon and four atoms of hydrogen.
• It occurs abundantly in nature and is the primary component of natural gas.
• It is a major greenhouse gas, contributing 16% of the global warming effect.
• It is the second largest contributor to climate change, behind carbon dioxide (CO2).
• However, there is a lack of clarity regarding the exact amount of methane that has been released into the atmosphere.
• Methane primarily leaves the atmosphere through oxidation, forming water vapour and carbon dioxide.
• Other impacts of methane on the atmosphere:
  • Formation of tropospheric ozone
  • Deterioration of air quality
  • Health issues in humans and animals
  • Reduced crop yields.

What are the major sources of methane emissions?

• 60% of methane emissions are due to anthropogenic activities while natural processes account for the remaining 40%.
• Natural sources: According to NASA, wetlands account for around one-third of global methane emissions.
  • Wetlands are significant carbon sinks as they consist of waterlogged soils and permafrost.
  • As a result of global warming, carbon is released into the atmosphere in the form of methane.
  • Other natural sources of methane emissions are fresh waters, geologic seepage, wild animals, termites, wildfires, and vegetation.

Human activities

• Agriculture: Agriculture accounts for around one-fourth of the total methane emissions, with the major source within the sector being livestock.
  • Methane is released by cows and sheep release methane during the digestion process and in their manure.
  • Rice cultivation is the next major source of methane emissions in agriculture as waterlogged fields are suitable conditions for the survival of methane-emitting bacteria.
• Energy: The second largest source of anthropogenic methane emissions is the energy sector, specifically the coal, oil, and gas industries.
  • Methane emissions occur both due to leakages in the infrastructure (pipeline) and direct release during maintenance operations.
• Waste: The decomposition of household wastes in landfills also acts as a major source of methane emissions.

Why is methane considered potent but less persistent?

• More potent: Methane has a Global Warming Potential (GWP) 28 times greater than that of CO2 over a 100-year timescale and 80 times greater over a 20-year scale.
• GWP is the measure of warming caused by a substance relative to that caused by the same mass of carbon dioxide.
  • It is therefore more effective at trapping heat in the atmosphere than carbon dioxide.
  • In addition to its direct warming potential, methane also contributes indirectly to global warming by releasing carbon dioxide.

• Less persistent: Methane has a much shorter lifespan (around 10 years) in comparison to CO2 (hundreds of years).

Why is reducing methane emissions significant?

• Methane is responsible for more than a quarter of the warming that the planet has experienced since the preindustrial era.
• Therefore, cutting methane emissions is crucial to achieve the goal of limiting global warming to within 1.5°C (as in the Paris Agreement).
• Moreover, reducing methane emissions will produce a more immediate effect on global warming.

How much does India contribute to methane emissions?

• India is the world’s fourth largest emitter of methane behind China, the United States, and Russia.
  • The agriculture sector emits five times as much methane as the energy sector.
• According to India’s third Biennial Update Report, India’s methane emissions in 2016 were 409 million tonnes of CO2e.
  • Of this, 73.96% was from the Agriculture sector, 14.46% from the Waste sector, 10.62% from the Energy sector, and 0.96% was from the Industrial Processes and Product Use sector.

What can be done to reduce emissions from methane?

• Fossil fuels: According to the International Energy Agency, rapid cuts in methane emissions from the fossil fuel industry could help prevent up to 0.1°C warming by 2050.
  • The reduction of warming produced in this manner would be equivalent to that produced by removing all cars and trucks from roads across the world.
• Industry: Regular maintenance and repair of infrastructure where leakages are likely to occur.
  • Routine practices like flaring and venting should be avoided when conducting pipeline maintenance to prevent leakages.
  • This would help reduce super-emissions at no cost to the citizens and minimal cost to the producers.
  • Norway has set an example in the extraction and supply of natural gas with minimum leakage that can be replicated by other countries.
• Agriculture: Stakeholders must take necessary action to ensure emissions from the agriculture sector, the major source of methane, can be reduced.
  • Diets of livestock can be modified in such a manner that the health of the livestock improves while the environment is not adversely affected. For example, Harit Dhara.
  • Water management techniques can be introduced in rice cultivation to reduce methane emissions.

Initiatives related to reducing emissions from methane

Global

• Methane Alert and Response System (MARS): MARS will integrate data from a large number of existing and future satellites with the ability to detect methane emissions anywhere in the world.
  • It will help send out notifications to relevant stakeholders so that they act on them.
  • The UN’s now fully operational methane alert and response system has already notified 127 major methane plumes across four continents.
• Global Methane Pledge: Around 100 countries pledged to reduce methane emissions by at least 30% by 2030 in comparison to 2020 levels at the Glasgow Climate Conference (UNFCCC COP 26).
  • It is a US and EU-led initiative which was started in 2021.
• Global Methane Initiative (GMI): It is an international public-private partnership that aims to eliminate barriers related to the recovery and use of methane as a clean energy source.
  • However, most of these countries have not explained how they plan to achieve these targets.

India

• ‘Harit Dhara’ (HD): It is an anti-methanogenic feed supplement that has been developed by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR).
  • It is capable of reducing methane emissions from cattle by 17-20% while ensuring higher milk production as well.
• India Greenhouse Gas Program: It is an industry-led voluntary framework for measuring and managing greenhouse gas emissions.
  • It is an initiative led by WRI India (an NGO), the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), and The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI).
  • It aims to build comprehensive measurement and management strategies to reduce emissions and ensure the profitability, competitiveness, and sustainability of businesses and organizations in India.
• National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC): It was launched in 2008 to create awareness among public representatives, government agencies, scientists, industry, and vulnerable communities.
• National Mission on Sustainable Agriculture (NMSA): It is an initiative of the Union Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare.
  • It involves climate-resilient steps to contribute to reduced methane emissions in the agriculture sector such as methane reduction practices in rice cultivation.
• National Innovations in Climate Resilient Agriculture (NICRA): The Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) has developed several technologies that have the potential to mitigate methane emissions - System for Rice Intensification, Direct Seeded Rice, and Crop Diversification Programme.
  • Krishi Vigyan Kendras are implementing capacity-building programmes on climate-resilient practices across the country.
• National Livestock Mission: The Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying (DAHD) is implementing steps such as Breed Improvement and Balanced Rationing.
  • It also includes steps such as green fodder production, silage making, chaff cutting, and total mixed ration.
• This is expected to help reduce methane emissions from ruminants.
• The government is attempting to incentivize cattle waste utilization and produce clean energy in villages through schemes such as
  • Gobar (Galvanizing Organic Bio-Agro Resources) –Dhan’ scheme
  • New National Biogas and Organic Manure Programme

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FAQs

MCQs

Question: Among the following crops, which one is the most important anthropogenic source of both methane and nitrous oxide? (UPSC CSE 2022)

(a) Cotton

(b) Rice

(c) Sugarcane

(d) Wheat

Question: Consider the following:

1. Carbon monoxide
2. Methane
3. Ozone
4. Sulfur dioxide

Which of the above are released into the atmosphere due to the burning of crop/biomass residue? (UPSC CSE 2019)

(a) 1 and 2 only

(b) 2, 3, and 4 only

(c) 1 and 4 only

(d) 1,2,3 and 4

Question: “System of Rice Intensification” of cultivation, in which alternate wetting and drying of rice fields is practiced, results in:

1. Reduced seed requirement
2. Reduced methane production
3. Reduced electricity consumption

Select the correct answer using the code given below: (UPSC CSE 2022)

(a) 1 and 2 only

(b) 2 and 3 only

(c) 1 and 3 only

(d) 1, 2 and 3