Methane Emissions - DTE - 16/12/22

Context:
Recently a study has been published titled- “Wetland emission and atmospheric sink changes explain methane growth in 2020’, which states that low nitrogen oxide pollution and warming wetlands likely drove global methane emissions to record high levels in 2020.
Relevance:
GS3
About:
Findings: Global methane emissions reached roughly 15 parts per billion (ppb) in 2020 from 9.9 ppb in 2019. In 2020, methane emissions from human activities decreased by 1.2 teragrams (Tg) per year.

Causes:
-Water‐logged soils make conditions ripe for soil microorganisms, allowing them to produce more methane.
-Nitrogen oxide levels fell by 6% in 2020 from 2019. Less nitrogen oxide pollution means less hydroxyl and more methane.

Significance:
-It can help unravel a puzzle concerning why globally methane increased when many other greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide decreased during 2020.
-The results have significant implications for our ability to reliably predict methane changes in a future world with lower anthropogenic emissions of pollutants like nitrogen oxides and also if we have a wetter world.

Measures taken by India:
-Harit Dhara (HD)
-India Greenhouse Gas Program
-National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC)
-Bharat Stage-VI Norms

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