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Methane is a potent greenhouse gas

Methane is a potent greenhouse gas and one of the main contributors to global warming.1 Once in the atmosphere, methane contributes to the greenhouse effect and leads to a rise in global temperatures. Methane has a warming potential 80 times higher than carbon dioxide over a 20-year period.2 Methane is released from various sources, including livestock, landfills, and the production of fossil fuels.3

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Footnotes​

  1. Environmental Defense Fund. (2024). Methane: A crucial opportunity in the climate fight. https://www.edf.org/climate/methane-crucial-opportunity-climate-fight ↩

  2. Ibid. ↩

  3. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. (2024). Overview of Greenhouse Gasses: Methane. https://www.epa.gov/ghgemissions/overview-greenhouse-gasses#methane. ↩