Atmospheric levels of methane post a record rise in 2021

Atmospheric levels of methane, a potent greenhouse gas, made a record jump in 2021, the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) reports. Concentrations of methane rose 17 ppb over the course of 2021, surpassing 2020’s record-setting increase of 15.3 ppb. Atmospheric methane levels averaged 1,895.7 ppb last year, according to NOAA. Scientists are concerned about the rise in CH₄ because of its short-term global warming impacts. Methane is about 25 times as powerful as carbon dioxide in trapping heat in the atmosphere, although its estimated atmospheric half-life is about 9 years, compared with CO₂’s 100 years. Fossil fuel production and use account for about 30% of global methane emissions, NOAA says. Other key sources are livestock and paddy rice production, landfills, fires, and natural wetlands. In addition, atmospheric CO₂ increased 2.66 ppm from 2020 to 2021, reaching 414.7 ppm, NOAA says. “Our data show that global emissions continue to move in the wrong direction at a rapid pace,” NOAA administrator Rick Spinrad says in a statement.