METHANE LEVELS ARE now the highest they’ve been in 800,000 years–and Australia is turbocharging global warming says the Climate Council in a new report released today.
Dangerously Overlooked: Why we need to talk about methane (see attached), exposes the critical role of methane, a potent greenhouse gas, that is fuelling the climate crisis at an unprecedented rate.
Climate Councillor Professor Lesley Hughes said: “Methane is a climate supercharger and the evil bridesmaid of greenhouse gases. It traps 85 times more heat than carbon dioxide over a 20-year period, turbocharging the global warming that is driving extreme events like heatwaves, bushfires, and floods.”
The report’s findings make the urgency to act clear:
- Methane is responsible for 25-30% of global warming since pre-industrial times. Its rapid increase in the atmosphere, now at its highest level in 800,000 years, is a direct result of human activities.
- Australia’s contribution to methane pollution is significant with nearly four million tonnes of methane produced annually, mainly from agriculture (52%) and fossil fuel mining (25%). Further, the International Energy Agency estimates that Australia could be under-reporting methane emissions from coal and gas by as much as 60%.
- Despite signing the Global Methane Pledge to cut global methane emissions by at least 30% by 2030, Australia lacks a national plan to contribute to this commitment. Immediate action is needed to set and meet methane reduction targets.
Professor Hughes said: “Australia is alarmingly overrepresented in global methane emissions. We’re among the world’s biggest methane polluters, producing four to five times more methane per person than the global average.
