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Humans are responsible for as much as 40 percent more methane emissions than previously estimated, according to a new study published in the journal Nature today. Methane is a powerful greenhouse gas that can be produced biologically, seep out of the ground naturally, or bubble out of mud volcanoes. It’s also a potent byproduct of fossil fuel production.
Combined, both natural- and human-released methane emissions are responsible for about a quarter of the global warming we’re experiencing. But human-released methane makes up a much bigger slice of those emissions than people originally thought, the study’s findings suggest. They found that human-caused methane emissions might be 25 to 40 percent higher than prior estimates. Previous…