Global methane emissions rising at fastest rate in decades, scientists warn

Researchers call for immediate action to reduce methane emissions and avert dangerous escalation in climate crisis

Global emissions of methane, a powerful planet-heating gas, are rising rapidly" at the fastest rate in decades, requiring immediate action to help avert a dangerous escalation in the climate crisis, a new study has warned.

Methane emissions are responsible for half of the global heating already experienced, have been climbing significantly since around 2006 and will continue to grow throughout the rest of the 2020s unless new steps are taken to curb this pollution, concludes the new paper. The research is authored by more than a dozen scientists from around the world and published on Tuesday.