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Scientists raise alarm over ‘dangerously fast’ growth in atmospheric methane

As global methane concentrations soar over 1,900 parts per billion, some researchers fear that global warming itself is behind the rapid rise.
  1. Jeff Tollefson
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Methane concentrations in the atmosphere raced past 1,900 parts per billion last year, nearly triple pre-industrial levels, according to data released in January by the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Scientists says the grim milestone underscores the importance of a pledge made at last year’s COP26 climate summit to curb emissions of methane, a greenhouse gas at least 28 times as potent as carbon dioxide.

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doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-022-00312-2

Updates & Corrections

  • Correction 08 February 2022: An earlier version of this story said that bacteria generate methane in wetlands and the guts of cows. Methane is emitted by microbes in these places.

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