Methane is a climate pollutant that leads to the production of ozone with serious health and environmental impacts
60% of all methane emissions originate from the energy, waste and agriculture sectors
Targeting these three sectors with methane reduction policies can lead to significant reductions in overall methane emissions
Methane (CH4) is the main ingredient in natural gas. It is the second most important greenhouse gas (GHG) after carbon dioxide (CO2), and it also leads to the formation of another GHG - ozone.
Ozone has harmful effects for people, ecosystems and agricultural productivity. It is a so-called "short-lived climate forcer". This term refers to pollutants that remain in the atmosphere for a much shorter period of time than CO2 but have a much greater potential to warm the atmosphere.
The life span of short-lived climate pollutants is usually less than 15 years, unlike CO2 which stays in the atmosphere for about 100 years.
Read more at Joint Research Centre
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