Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

Scientists raise alarm over ‘dangerously fast’ growth in atmospheric methane

As global methane concentrations soar over 1,900 parts per billion, some researchers fear that global warming itself is behind the rapid rise.
  1. Jeff Tollefson
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed  Google Scholar

Methane concentrations in the atmosphere raced past 1,900 parts per billion last year, nearly triple pre-industrial levels, according to data released in January by the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Scientists says 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 carbon dioxide.

Access options

Rent or buy this article

Get just this article for as long as you need it

$39.95

Learn more

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-022-00312-2

Updates & Corrections

  • Correction 08 February 2022: An earlier version of this story said that bacteria generate methane in wetlands and the guts of cows. Methane is emitted by microbes in these places.

References

  1. Nisbet, E. et al. Phil. Trans. R. Soc. A. https://doi.org/10.1098/rsta.2021.0112 (2021).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  2. Palmer, P. I. et al. Phil. Trans. R. Soc. A. https://doi.org/10.1098/rsta.2021.0106 (2021).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  3. Turner, A. J., Frankenburg, C. & Kort, E. A. Proc. Natl Acad. Sci. USA 116, 2805–2813 (2019).

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  4. Ferretti, D. F. et al. Science 309, 1714–1717 (2005).

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  5. Lan, X. et al. Global Biogeochem. Cycles https://doi.org/10.1029/2021GB007000 (2021).

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Subjects

Latest on:

Nature Careers

Jobs

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing

Search

Advanced search

Quick links