Atmospheric methane removal: A promising but challenging climate solution

A variety of geoengineering technologies are being closely studied to rapidly remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. But researchers are also now considering removing another powerful greenhouse gas: atmospheric methane, or CH4. But no viable technology exists yet to do so at scale.

Methane is a highly potent greenhouse gas, roughly 80 times more powerful than CO2 in its ability to heat up the Earth. It is currently responsible for about a third of annual warming, and for the past five years, civilization has released alarmingly record amounts of methane into the atmosphere.

Today, at least two-thirds of yearly methane emissions come from human activities, including livestock, agriculture, fossil fuels, landfills and other waste — while climate feedbacks add to that total via releases from global wetlands and Arctic permafrost. Researchers emphasize that the quickest fix is to slash human-caused emissions.

But some scientists are considering another approach: Methane is short-lived in the atmosphere, with CH4 molecules breaking down in seven to 12 years, against the 100 or more years it takes CO2 to break down. So scientists are investigating geoengineering technologies that might expedite this methane breakdown and help achieve a cooler world.

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