Mumbai: Methane emissions over India are lower than what is reported in some widely used global emission inventories, according to a study, stressing the need for a stronger monitoring network.
Methane is one of the most powerful greenhouse gases driving global climate change.
While it remains in the atmosphere for a shorter time than carbon dioxide, it heats the atmosphere far more effectively.
This makes methane a prime low-hanging fruit for immediate action to combat warming and reduce climate risks in the coming decades.
In India, a rapidly developing economy where agriculture, waste management, and energy production are significant sources of methane emissions, there is an urgent need for improved estimates and effective controls on these gases.
Addressing this is essential to significantly reduce both economic and environmental burdens, said Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER), Bhopal, Associate Professor Dhanyalekshmi Pillai.
She, along with Thara Anna Mathew and Jithin S Kumar from IISER Bhopal, and other national and international scientists, conducted an examination of India's methane emissions for 2018-201, recently published in the European Geosciences Union's Atmopsheric Chemistry and Physics Journal.
"Strikingly, the study suggests that methane emissions over India are lower than the activity-based statistical estimates reported in some widely used global emission inventories," Pillai said.
"That is a wake-up call: better measurements can significantly reshape our understanding of where the country stands," she added.
By advancing measurement and modelling techniques, the study finds that India annually emits between 21.9 and 24.9 teragrams of methane into the atmosphere.
At the same time, the....
