Context

• High-income nations across the world seem to have chosen agriculture as a priority sector to enforce emissions cuts for meeting their national climate targets.

Methane

• Methane is the simplest hydrocarbon, consisting of one carbon atom and four hydrogen atoms (CH4). 
• It is flammable, and is used as a fuel worldwide.
• It is nearly 80-85 times more potent than carbon dioxide in terms of its global warming capacity.
• The common sources of methane are agricultural activities, oil and natural gas systems, coal mining and wastes.

Findings 

• Methane is the second most abundant greenhouse gas (GHG) after carbon dioxide (CO2), accounting for 20 per cent of global emissions.  

• About 32 per cent of global anthropogenic methane come from microbial processes that occur during the enteric fermentation of ruminant livestock and manure management systems.
• Oil and gas operations contribute to about 63 per cent of methane emissions.
• Less than 2 percent of climate finance is used to develop methane-mitigation solutions.

Emissions from Agriculture

• Methane (from livestock belching, flatulence and dung) and nitrous oxide (from nitrogen fertilisers) are the two main greenhouse gases (GHGs) from the agriculture sector.
• As per US Environmental Protection Agency, methane and nitrous oxide account for 16% and 6% of global GHGs.
• Paddy rice cultivation in which flooded fields prevent oxygen from penetrating the soil, creating ideal conditions for the growth of methane-emitting bacteria.

Global initiatives 

• Methane Alert and Response System (MARS) will integrate data from many existing and future satellites that can detect methane emission events anywhere in the world, and send out notifications to the relevant stakeholders to act on it. 

• At the Glasgow climate conference (UNFCCC COP 26) in 2021, nearly 100 countries had come together in a voluntary pledge, referred to as the Global Methane Pledge, to cut methane emissions by at least 30% by 2030 from the 2020 levels. 

• Global Methane Initiative is an international public-private partnership focused on reducing barriers to the recovery and use of methane as a clean energy source. 

National initiatives 

• Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) has developed an anti-methanogenic feed supplement ‘Harit Dhara’ which can cut down cattle methane emissions by 17-20% and result in higher milk production. 

• National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC) was launched in 2008 and aimed at creating awareness among the representatives of the public, government, scientists, industry, and the communities on the threat posed by climate change and the steps to counter it. 

• India shifted from Bharat Stage-IV to Bharat Stage-VI emission norms. 

Way Forward 

• There is a need for more ambitious efforts to reduce methane emissions to achieve the Paris Agreement target of restricting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels. 

• Further, behavioral changes including reducing food waste , improving livestock management and adopting healthy diets can help lower methane emissions