Earth Today | Methane rising

FROM RISING methane emissions globally to recent flood events locally, there is a clear call to climate action that prioritises adaptation interventions and affirms the need for scaled up mitigation efforts.

This is according to local stakeholders on the forefront of work to safeguard Caribbean small island developing states (SIDS), which are among those who stand to lose the most should global temperatures be allowed to skyrocket and extreme weather events and other threats go unchecked.

“SIDS need to continue to lobby internationally and regionally for reduction in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions emphasising that the use of fossil fuels must be drastically cut and also that more investment needs to be placed in reducing GHG emissions from livestock rearing. This means reducing clearance of forest for livestock rearing and soybean cultivation and investing in more modern ways of producing meat proteins,” insists Dr David Smith, coordinator at the Institute for Sustainable Development at The University of the West Indies.

Smith’s suggestions have come amid news of soaring global concentrations of methane in the atmosphere. Methane, which is the main component of natural gas, is reportedly more than 80 times more potent than carbon dioxide in terms of warming the climate system, in the first two decades after its release.

ALARMED AT INCREASE

A February 8 article in Nature has noted that scientists are alarmed at the increase in concentrations of methane.

“ Methane concentrations in the atmosphere raced past 1,900 parts per billion last year, nearly triple preindustrial levels, according to data released in January by the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Scientists say the grim milestone underscores the importance of a pledge made at last year’s COP26 climate summit to curb emissions of methane, a greenhouse gas at least 28 times as potent as CO2,” the journal article said.

“The growth of methane emissions slowed around the turn of the millennium, but began a rapid and mysterious uptick around 2007. The spike has caused many researchers to worry that global warming is creating a feedback mechanism that will cause ever more methane to be released, making it even harder to rein in rising temperatures,” it added.

The realities are such, Smith said, that it warrants the focus of the Caribbean on “building resilience to climate risk, which means diversifying economies, building energy and water-efficient homes, factories, schools and offices”.

“Reducing disaster risk and fortifying the coastline. At the same time, primary forests, mangroves and coral reefs must be protected and restored where necessary. Those countries, which are highly dependent on tourism, need to pursue more sustainable models of tourism and governments should ensure that sufficient taxes or rents are charged to the sector to protect the natural resources which keep it alive,” he said.

Respected climate scientist Professor Michael Taylor has himself noted the need for collaboration among stakeholders to bring about resilience through adaptation in the face of impending climate impacts.

“I think the public sector must provide clear leadership with respect to adaptation, especially because of the coordination it will require across entities and scales of impact. But I also believe that everybody has a role to play, including, for example, the private sector, academia, community groups, and the ordinary person; and that one does not have to sit and wait on the public sector to recognise its significant responsibility for meaningful action to take place,” he said.

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