Beyond CO2 equivalence
- In this article we review the physical and chemical properties of methane (CH4) relevant to impacts on climate, ecosystems, and air pollution, and examine the extent to which this is reflected in climate and air pollution governance. Although CH4 is governed under the UNFCCC climate regime, its treatment there is limited to the ways in which it acts as a "CO2 equivalent" climate forcer on a 100-year time frame. The UNFCCC framework neglects the impacts that CH4 has on near-term climate, as well its impacts on human health and ecosystems, which are primarily mediated by methane's role as a precursor to tropospheric ozone. Frameworks for air quality governance generally address tropospheric ozone as a pollutant, but do not regulate CH4 itself. Methane's climate and air quality impacts, together with its alarming rise in atmospheric concentrations in recent years, make it clear that mitigation of CH4 emissions needs to be accelerated globally. We examine challenges and opportunities for further progress on CH4 mitigation within theIn this article we review the physical and chemical properties of methane (CH4) relevant to impacts on climate, ecosystems, and air pollution, and examine the extent to which this is reflected in climate and air pollution governance. Although CH4 is governed under the UNFCCC climate regime, its treatment there is limited to the ways in which it acts as a "CO2 equivalent" climate forcer on a 100-year time frame. The UNFCCC framework neglects the impacts that CH4 has on near-term climate, as well its impacts on human health and ecosystems, which are primarily mediated by methane's role as a precursor to tropospheric ozone. Frameworks for air quality governance generally address tropospheric ozone as a pollutant, but do not regulate CH4 itself. Methane's climate and air quality impacts, together with its alarming rise in atmospheric concentrations in recent years, make it clear that mitigation of CH4 emissions needs to be accelerated globally. We examine challenges and opportunities for further progress on CH4 mitigation within the international governance landscapes for climate change and air pollution.…
Author details: | Kathleen A. Mar, Charlotte Unger, Ludmila WalderdorffORCiD, Tim ButlerORCiD |
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DOI: | https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envsci.2022.03.027 |
ISSN: | 1462-9011 |
ISSN: | 1873-6416 |
Title of parent work (English): | Environmental science & policy |
Subtitle (English): | The impacts of methane on climate, ecosystems, and health |
Publisher: | Elsevier |
Place of publishing: | Oxford |
Publication type: | Article |
Language: | English |
Date of first publication: | 2022/04/29 |
Publication year: | 2022 |
Release date: | 2024/02/02 |
Tag: | Air pollution; Climate governance; Global warming potential; International policy; Methane; Short-lived climate pollutants |
Volume: | 134 |
Number of pages: | 10 |
First page: | 127 |
Last Page: | 136 |
Funding institution: | Federal Ministry of Education and Research of Germany (BMBF); Ministry; for Science, Research and Culture of the State of Brandenburg (MWFK) |
Organizational units: | Mathematisch-Naturwissenschaftliche Fakultät / Institut für Geowissenschaften |
DDC classification: | 3 Sozialwissenschaften / 32 Politikwissenschaft / 320 Politikwissenschaft |
3 Sozialwissenschaften / 33 Wirtschaft / 330 Wirtschaft | |
9 Geschichte und Geografie / 91 Geografie, Reisen / 910 Geografie, Reisen | |
Peer review: | Referiert |
Publishing method: | Open Access / Hybrid Open-Access |
License (German): | CC-BY-NC - Namensnennung, nicht kommerziell 4.0 International |