50%–65% of Methane Emissions Come from Human Activities
- The Earth & I Editorial Team
- Oct 17, 2021
- 1 min read
Updated: Feb 25, 2022
The US EPA has a lot to say about methane emissions. Let’s break it down into the basics:
As a greenhouse gas, methane is 25 times more potent than an equal amount of CO2 over a 100-year period.
Methane emissions come from both man-made and natural sources. Some 50%-65% of methane emissions come from human activities.
Methane accounted for 10% of US greenhouse gas emissions in 2019.
In the US, methane emissions decreased by 15% from 1990 to 2019.
While agricultural emissions increased, emissions from landfills, mining, and fossil fuel production decreased.
US methane emissions came from the following sources in 2019: 30% natural gas and petroleum systems; 27% enteric fermentation (gas produced from cows and other livestock); 17% landfills, 9% manure management; 7% coal mining, 9% other sources.
— Source: US Environmental Protection Agency
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