A Ticking Time Bomb : The Global Methane Crisis

Picture Credit: Ganesh Ramsumair

The climate crisis is entering a new phase as evidence grows that natural systems may increasingly release methane, a powerful greenhouse gas, due to global warming. This feedback loop, often called a "methane bomb," suggests that as the planet heats up, natural environments could become net emitters of greenhouse gases rather than absorbers, intensifying global warming and exponentially accelerating the process. This is an extremely worrying development in our active struggle against global warming and it could have devastating consequences.

What is Methane?

Methane (CH4) is a greenhouse gas which is much more effective at trapping heat in the atmosphere than carbon dioxide (CO2). Although methane is shorter-lived, it is about 80 times more potent over a 20-year period. Methane emissions traditionally come from fossil fuel extraction, agriculture, landfills, and natural sources like wetlands. In recent years however, methane levels in the atmosphere have been rising at an alarming rate.

What are the drivers of Methane Emissions?

A study from the University of Colorado Boulder reveals that the primary contributors to this methane spike are microbial processes occurring in nature rather than fossil fuels. This finding is alarming because methane-producing microbes thrive in warm, wet environments, such as wetlands and agricultural lands, and these areas are expanding due to climate change. Warmer temperatures and increased rainfall encourage the growth of these methane-generating microbes, causing natural sources to release methane at unprecedented rates. As you can see it's a vicious cycle that continues to accelerate itself where with warmer temperatures we will get more microbes , and with more microbes we will get a spike in release of methane gas which will further increase the global temperature.

What is the Methane Feedback Loop?

Scientists have long warned about climate "feedback loops," where warming triggers natural processes that accelerate further warming. For example, wetlands—one of the largest methane sources—are growing due to rainier weather. In 2022, research indicated that wetlands were emitting methane at rates comparable to the most severe climate predictions, driven by increasingly favourable conditions for methane production.

This feedback loop could be a tipping point. If methane emissions from natural sources continue to rise, the planet may lose its ability to regulate greenhouse gases, accelerating global warming despite human efforts to reduce fossil fuel use.

What about Natural Carbon Sinks?

Adding to the crisis is evidence that natural carbon sinks, like forests and wetlands, are no longer absorbing CO2 as efficiently. Fires, droughts, and other climate impacts have weakened these ecosystems' ability to trap carbon, forcing more CO2 into the atmosphere. For example, fires in the Amazon rainforest and reduced carbon uptake in the northern hemisphere suggest that global ecosystems might stop absorbing excess carbon and even start emitting it.

The data underscore an urgent need for climate action. While policymakers focus on limiting human-made emissions, the climate may already be entering a self-sustaining warming cycle. Reducing emissions remains critical, but understanding and managing natural methane sources is now equally important. This feedback loop, if left unchecked, could push the planet beyond a point of return, making it even more challenging to prevent catastrophic climate outcomes.