According to a study by the World Meteorological Organization, atmospheric levels of all three greenhouse gases have hit record highs.
Methane levels have risen rapidly in recent years which has puzzled scientists. Some attributed it to an increase in fracking in the US but this was dismissed as industrial emissions were not showing a similarly sharp rise.
Now it is believed that the methane rise could be caused by activities of microbes in wetlands, rice paddies and the guts of ruminants. Increasing temperatures have caused the ideal conditions for microbial methane production, as they thrive in warm, damp areas.
These greenhouse gases have led to a warming effect rising by 50% between 1990 and 2021. Carbon dioxide makes up about 80% of this increase.
Though troubling, the methane increase is reversible, and carbon dioxide remained the biggest threat. “There are cost-effective strategies available to tackle methane emissions, especially from the fossil fuel sector, and we should implement these without delay,” WMO secretary general Petteri Taalas said. “However, methane has a relatively short lifetime of less than 10 years, and so its impact on climate is reversible.
“As the most urgent priority, we have to slash carbon dioxide emissions, which are the main driver of climate change and associated extreme weather, and which will affect climate for thousands of years through polar ice loss, ocean warming and sea level rise.”
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/oct/26/atmospheric-levels-greenhouse-gases-record-high