This under-the-radar greenhouse gas could shake up the climate fight.
The fight against climate change has long been focused on the need to slash carbon dioxide pollution. But there’s another powerful gas we should be tackling alongside CO2: it’s called methane.
Think of methane as CO2’s pesky younger sibling. It’s often overlooked, but it can do some real damage in a short time.
Here’s what you need to know about methane and climate change:
1. Methane hits the climate hard and fast.
Like carbon dioxide, methane is a greenhouse gas that traps heat in the Earth’s atmosphere. It doesn’t linger for centuries like CO2, but it does heat up the planet quickly. In fact, methane has more than 80 times the warming power of carbon dioxide in the first 20 years after its release.
Even though we emit 100 times more carbon dioxide than methane, that seemingly small amount has a big impact on the climate. Methane is responsible for about 30% of the rise in average temperatures since the industrial revolution. We’re feeling the impact of that warmer climate right now, in more frequent and extreme weather disasters like droughts and floods.
2. Methane pollution is speeding up global warming.
Carbon dioxide, with its long, slow warming effect, determines how hot the planet will get in the long run. But methane is picking up the pace of warming with its rapid heating effect. The more methane pollution we produce, the faster the temperature rises. It’s speeding us toward a very risky climate future of more intense floods, heat waves, storms and droughts.
3. Cutting methane is our best opportunity to slow down climate change, fast.
Because methane acts rapidly to trap heat and also breaks down relatively quickly in the atmosphere, scientists say we can get fast climate results by reducing methane pollution. And we need to move fast to address the climate crisis. Even though the world is making progress on reducing carbon dioxide pollution from energy and transportation, every fraction of a degree in global temperature rise increases the risk of future extreme weather and disasters.
4. Methane doesn’t only come from cows — the oil and gas industry is also a major source of methane pollution.
Many people equate methane pollution with gassy bovines, and they’re not wrong. But methane pollution comes from a number of sources, including the oil and gas industry. And many emissions from this industry are fairly easy to reduce.
Methane is the main component of natural gas, which frequently leaks or at times is purposely released from pipelines and equipment throughout the oil and gas system worldwide. Once those leaks are located, most can be fixed simply by tightening valves or repairing leaky pipes.
5. The world has the technology to cut methane pollution in half by 2030.
Currently available technologies can cut methane pollution from all sources, including emissions from agriculture and livestock, fossil fuels and landfills, in half worldwide — if they’re rolled out quickly.
In fact, a global effort to do so could shave as much as a quarter degree off temperature rise by midcentury and half a degree by the end of the century. That fraction of a degree difference may seem small, but studies have shown that it can reduce the risks of potentially deadly climate impacts — like heat waves, flooding, rising sea levels, water stress and crop failures — for millions of people.
6. Help is on the way.
Methane emissions aren’t always easy to detect and trace back to a source. For example, oil and gas pipelines and infrastructure stretch across most of the planet, and methane leaks are odorless and invisible to the naked eye. But new methane detection technologies, using drones, aircraft and satellites, are beginning to reveal what was once invisible.
In the coming years, the world will have an entirely new system of methane detection and measurement that can locate leaks from all major methane pollution sources and hold polluters accountable for fixing them.
This article originally appeared on EDF.org and was syndicated by MediaFeed.org.
Can climate change really affect the quality of your sleep?
From melting ice caps and rising sea levels to record-breaking temps and bigger and more destructive storms, we can see the impact of climate change all around us.
One place you might not realize climate change’s consequences, though, is your sleep.
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As the world is getting warmer, the changes this is causing have the potential to wreak havoc on your ability to catch adequate Z’s. Here’s how climate change impacts your shuteye and ways to mitigate the challenges without causing additional harm to the planet.
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According to the National Sleep Foundation, the ideal room temperature for rest is between 60° and 67°F, but this can be harder to maintain as the worldwide climate heats up.
At night, your body’s core temperature drops to bring on sleep and then warms up in the morning to help you wake up. This natural thermoregulation is controlled by your circadian rhythm and is a key component of getting a good night’s sleep.
However, higher nighttime temps due to climate change can interfere with this cycle.
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“Warmer temperatures are not great for inducing and maintaining sleep,” explains Abhinav Singh, MD, board-certified doctor in sleep medicine and internal medicine and medical director of the Indiana Sleep Center. “Our bodies need to cool down to support the steady release of melatonin, our sleep initiating hormone. Darkness and cool temperatures are key. Warmer temperatures reduce slow-wave restorative [SWS] sleep.”
According to a study published in the Journal of Physiological Anthropology, “The thermal environment is one of the most important factors that can affect human sleep.”
The study went on to report that warmer temperatures caused increased wakefulness and decreased deep sleep (or SWS) and REM sleep. Another small study found that warmer nighttime temps lead to a negative overall impact on “sleep calmness, difficulty in falling asleep, sleep satisfaction and sleep adequateness.”
And the temperature changes don’t even have to be big. A study in ScienceAdvances found that just an increase of one degree Celsius could negatively impact your shuteye.
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While the impacts of global warming are often focused on a rise in overall temperature, studies also suggest that for certain areas, it may also cause an increase in humidity.
Though hotter nights offer their own sleep interruptions, humidity makes the problem even worse.
“Humid heat exposure further increases wakefulness, decreases REM and SWS, and excessively suppresses the decrease in [the body’s core temperature]”, according to a study in the Journal of Physiological Anthropology.
Here’s why humid nights are worse: When your body is hot, you sweat. In low humidity, this sweat can evaporate and allow your body to cool down. When it’s hot and humid, the sweat stays. This keeps the skin wet and the body stops trying to sweat, preventing you from cooling down and getting a good night of sleep.
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“Air quality in our bedrooms is another aspect of the sleep environment that tends to get overlooked,” writes sleep expert Michael Breus, PhD, in a blog post.
Climate change could worsen your air quality. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, global warming may cause an increase in allergens and air pollution, both of which can make it harder to get some shuteye.
“Pollution may irritate the airway and make it harder to breathe,” explains Singh. “This can induce cough, causing frequent interruptions to sleep and micro or macro awakenings from sleep.”
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No surprise here, stress and anxiety are bad bedfellows when it comes to getting rest. Research has found that both chronic stress and sudden occasional stress can mess with your circadian rhythm and prevent satisfying sleep.
Climate change is something that can be seriously stress-inducing—and that’s especially true for kids.
A March 2020 survey conducted by the BBC Newsround found that 73% of the young people surveyed were worried about the state of the planet, and 58% were concerned about how climate change will impact their own lives. Twenty percent of the kids surveyed said climate change anxiety has impacted their sleeping and eating habits or given them a bad dream.
This stress-induced sleep loss can start a vicious cycle. According to research out of UC Berkeley, just one night of poor sleep due to stress can lead to a 30% increase in….you guessed it, more stress!
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According to the Environmental Protection Agency, increasing global temperatures are associated with an increase in extreme weather events such as hurricanes, tornadoes, heat waves, and heavy storms. And research suggests these extreme weather events can hurt your sleep for numerous reasons.
Many of the extreme weather events bring increased heat and humidity, which can make it harder to get quality sleep. There’s also the stress and anxiety that comes when a hurricane or tornado is heading toward your hometown.
Plus, says Breus, “There’s new evidence that the weather can worsen sleep-disordered breathing. In other words, when the pressure drops, so does your ability to achieve smooth, restful breathing during the night.”
Research doesn’t clarify exactly why this occurs, but it suggests that changes in atmospheric pressure due to weather events do affect sleep apnea.
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So how can you mitigate some of the sleep challenges that come with climate change without, you know, contributing to climate change?
- Be selective about your sheets. Not all sheets are created equal when it comes to keeping you cool. Choose breathable, natural materials like organic cotton, linen, or lyocell that allow for air to circulate as well as moisture-wicking to keep you cool and dry. As a bonus for the environment, natural materials are also produced more sustainably.
- Open your windows. When you can, avoid using an air conditioner and instead opt for a ceiling fan and an open window to help circulate cooler nighttime air.
- Go to bed in the buff. Skip the PJs and head to bed in your birthday suit. Sleeping this way is easy, cheap, and has more benefits than just keeping you cooler at night.
- Add some green. An easy way to improve the air quality in your bedroom is to add a plant, says Breus. “Keeping plants in the bedroom—and throughout your house—is a natural, low-cost, easy way to boost oxygen levels and improve air quality.”
Related:
This article originally appeared on Saatva.comand was syndicated by MediaFeed.org.
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Featured Image Credit: Leonid Ikan/istockphoto.
