Methane, a hidden climate culprit

Methane is a climate action area where the science is clear and tech is promising; tackling it will buy us time.

Methane is not just another greenhouse gas, it is surprisingly full of hope and one of the most potent yet immediate levers we have to cool the planet.

We mostly hear about carbon dioxide (CO2) in the climate debates while methane is often sidelined. It is 80 times more potent than CO2 at warming the planet over a 20-year period, which means even a small release of methane is loaded with more global warming potential. But here’s the twist: methane is short-lived. Unlike CO2, which resides in the atmosphere for hundreds of years, methane only stays for about 12 years. That’s some good news. Researchers think that methane might hold the fastest key to slowing global warming. Therefore, if we focus on methane now, we may be able to see the difference in its atmospheric concentration and climate much sooner.

Agriculture, being the primary human-caused source, contributes about 40% of global emissions, and in many developing countries, where farming is central to livelihoods, it becomes a complex issue. A vital emission source is flooded rice fields, which create an anaerobic environment, making it a cosy home for the methane-emitting microbes. Through enteric fermentation, cows also release methane. In this natural process, microbes in their stomach break down the food and produce methane as a by-product. Then, there is stored manure which acts as a methane generator.

However, methane’s impact does not just stop at warming the planet. It is also responsible for the formation of ground-level ozone, a pollutant that affects the respiratory system, as well as the ecosystem and vegetation, which makes it a public health and food security issue as well. A crucial point to note here is that methane’s impact has become much broader, and its story deserves immediate attention.

So, how do we measure methane emissions? Even today, our methods are limited. Life Cycle Assessment or LCA is useful when evaluating the emissions from a product across its life cycle. There are bottom-up methods that count emissions from farms, landfills, etc., using emission factors, such as N cows = X kg methane per year, to estimate the total. Then, there are top-down methods using satellites to observe and scan methane in the atmosphere. Often, these two methods do not agree, and satellites sometimes show more methane than the reports from bottom-up methods might suggest.

Climate-smart agriculture

However, the bright side is that solutions exist, and many of them are implementable. For example, intermittent irrigation and alternate wetting and drying methods in rice fields might help cut methane emissions and save us a lot of water, which can be a win-win. Cows can be fed more easily digestible high-quality forages and seaweed-based additives along with the addition of fats and oils in their diets, which could reduce emissions. Biogas digesters can be used to turn manure into clean energy.

All these methods fall under the broader umbrella of climate-smart agriculture, which aims to increase food productivity while mitigating climate change, thereby integrating farming into the climate solution. This is not just theoretical – India is already forging ahead through initiatives like the National Biogas Mission, which seeks to expand renewable energy from agricultural waste. Also, while India is not yet a signatory to the Global Methane Pledge (where over 150 countries have signed to cut down methane by 30% by 2030), its domestic strategic efforts are moving in a constructive direction.

Yet, the path forward is not without obstacles. Much of the methane data and mitigation models come from advanced industrial economies. For regions like South Asia, we need more geographically targeted research and farmer-centric policy frameworks that centre agriculture, not overlook it. Efforts to bridge the gaps between satellite data and what is happening on the ground are also crucial.

So often, we talk about climate change in terms of doom and distance. However, methane is a here-and-now problem. It is one of the few areas in climate action where the science is clear, technology exists, and the window for observable outcomes is brief. Tackling methane won’t solve everything going on with climate change. However, it buys us time, thereby giving us a chance to slow down the warming. At the same time, we continue the longer, harder work of decarbonisation. Indeed, methane is the hidden climate culprit we can tame, a solution in waiting, and the time to act is now.

(Anand is an assistant professor and programme coordinator–Climate Science & Policy at TERI School of Advanced Studies, New Delhi; Arundhati holds an MSc degree from Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar)