Methane big part of ‘alarming’ rise in planet-warming gases

By ISABELLA O’MALLEY
Associated Press

Rising methane levels in the atmosphere last year again played a big part in an overall increase in the greenhouse gases that cause climate change. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration reported figures this week and called overall emissions “alarming.” Carbon dioxide gets more attention for causing climate change than methane. But methane is particularly concerning because it is much more potent than carbon dioxide, although it doesn’t last as long in the atmosphere. Methane’s rise in 2022 was its fourth-sharpest increase since NOAA began systematic measurements in 1983. Methane gas leaks from wells and natural gas lines and wafts from manure ponds, decomposing landfills, and directly from livestock.