Understanding methane and its impact on climate change
Explore credible facts to understand its role, climate impact and opportunities to drive mitigation action. Learn from engaging visuals, fresh expert data, interactive definitions and built-in references. Use practical tools to share curated content designed to inform, engage, and support action.
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What is methane?
Methane is a highly-potent, colorless, odorless greenhouse gas
Methane is generated by the human production of agriculture, fossil fuels, and waste, and by natural processes such as the decomposition of organic matter in wetlands. Total global methane emissions in 2020 were 647 million metric tonnes (Mt), of which human-generated activities accounted for 59%.
Since human-generated emissions will continue to grow faster than natural sources in the near-term, the percentage of global emissions attributable to human causes is set to increase.
674Mt Total 2020 methane emissions
59% Human-generated methane emissions
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41% Methane emissions from natural sources
Methane Emissions by Sector
Human-generated emissions can be attributed to three primary sectors
Global methane emissions by top country (2022)
These percentages use the total global methane emissions as the denominator. Note: Annual emissions numbers are from EDGAR, which may not perfectly align with the Global Methane Budget.
Methane is generated by the human production of agriculture, fossil fuels, and waste, and by natural processes such as the decomposition of organic matter in wetlands.
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Methane Emissions by Geography
Primary geographies contributing to methane emissions
Asia (including Russia) is the top methane emitter for each of the three major sectors and is responsible for roughly half of methane emissions globally. North America and Europe are smaller contributors, but have expansive civil society capacity, strong regulatory environment, and aligned funding (e.g., US Inflation Reduction Act) that have the potential to drive emissions reductions quickly and create learnings that can apply to the rest of the world.
Top methane emitting regions and countries in 2022
| Geography | Agriculture | Fossil Fuels | Waste | Total (incl. Other) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Agriculture (Mt) | % of sector total | Fossil Fuels (Mt) | % of sector total | Waste (Mt) | % of sector total | Total (Mt) | % of sector total | |
| Asia | 81.4Mt | 21% | 65.3Mt | 16.9% | 45.4Mt | 11.7% | 199.1Mt | 51.5% |
| China | 22.4Mt | 5.8% | 31.2Mt | 8.1% | 16.6Mt | 4.3% | 73.1Mt | 18.9% |
| India | 19.6Mt | 5.1% | 3.5Mt | 0.9% | 7.4Mt | 1.9% | 32.3Mt | 8.3% |
| Russia | 2.2Mt | 0.6% | 11Mt | 2.9% | 4.6Mt | 1.2% | 17.9Mt | 4.6% |
| Africa | 23.4Mt | 6.1% | 14.9Mt | 3.9% | 11.1Mt | 2.9% | 53.5Mt | 13.8% |
| Central and South America | 30.8Mt | 7.9% | 5.5Mt | 1.4% | 13.5Mt | 3.5% | 50.9Mt | 13.2% |
| Brazil | 15.6Mt | 4% | 1.5Mt | 0.4% | 5.8Mt | 1.5% | 23.4Mt | 6% |
| North America | 10.2Mt | 2.6% | 12.9Mt | 3.3% | 5.9Mt | 1.5% | 29.4Mt | 7.6% |
| United States | 9.1Mt | 2.4% | 10.7Mt | 2.8% | 5.1Mt | 1.3% | 25.3Mt | 6.5% |
| Middle East | 1.7Mt | 0.4% | 21.6Mt | 5.6% | 4.4Mt | 1.1% | 27.7Mt | 7.2% |
| Europe | 10.3Mt | 2.7% | 3Mt | 0.18% | 6Mt | 1.5% | 20.1Mt | 5.2% |
| Other | 3.8Mt | 1% | 1.7Mt | 0.4% | 0.7Mt | 0.2% | 6.2Mt | 1.6% |
| Grand Total | 161.5Mt | 41.7% | 125Mt | 32.3% | 87Mt | 22.5% | 387Mt | 100% |