Methane Emissions

• 16 Dec 2025

Source: TH 

Why in News? 

Methane, a crucial fuel for domestic and industrial applications, becomes a major environmental hazard when released uncontrolled from landfills, threatening India’s climate objectives and urban ecological health. 

Summary 

• Satellite data show India's landfill methane emissions are far higher than estimated, revealing a major information gap for a gas 84 times more potent than CO₂ over 20 years. 
• Satellite monitoring, ground validation, and integrated policies enable precise methane hotspot detection, supporting effective waste management, climate action, and energy recovery initiatives. 

What is Methane? 

• About: Methane is a chemical compound with the molecular formula CH₄, consisting of one carbon atom bonded to four hydrogen atoms. It is the simplest alkane and a primary component of natural gas. 
• Physical Properties: It is odourless, colourless, tasteless, and lighter than air. Under complete combustion, it burns with a blue flame, producing carbon dioxide (CO₂) and water (H₂O) in the presence of oxygen. 
• Applications: As the main constituent of natural gas (typically 80–95%), methane serves as a major energy source for heating, electricity generation, and cooking.  
  • It is also employed in chemical synthesis to produce hydrogen, ammonia, methanol, and other compounds. 
• Emission: India is the world’s 3rd-largest methane emitter after China and the United States, releasing 31 million tonnes annually (9% of global emissions). 
  • As per India’s 3rd Biennial Update Report to the UNFCCC, India’s methane emissions in 2016 (excluding Land Use, Land-Use Change, and Forestry) were 409 million tonne CO₂e. 
• Major Sources of Methane: 
  • Natural Sources: Wetlands, where organic matter decomposes anaerobically. 
  • Agricultural Activities: Flooded rice paddies, which create anaerobic conditions, and livestock enteric fermentation, primarily from cattle. 
  • Combustion and Industrial Processes: Fossil fuel extraction, transport, and combustion. 
    • Biomass burning (e.g., wood, crop residues). 
    • Landfills and wastewater treatment (anaerobic decomposition of organic waste): Approximately 15% of India's methane emissions originate from the waste sector. 
    • Fertilizer production and other industrial activities. 
• Global Warming Potential (GWP): It is a potent greenhouse gas (GHG), absorbing infrared radiation and contributing to the greenhouse effect.  
  • Over a 20-year period, methane is approximately 84 times more effective at trapping heat than CO₂, and over 100 years, about 28–34 times more potent. 

• Initiatives to Reduce Methane: 
  • India’s Initiatives: Harit Dhara, BS VI Emission Norms, National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC). 
  • Global Initiatives:  
    • Satellite Monitoring: Missions like CarbonMapper’s Tanager help detect methane hotspots with high accuracy. E.g., Ghazipur and Okhla in Delhi. 
    • Global Methane Pledge (GMP): Launched at UNFCCC COP26 in Glasgow (2021), the GMP targets a minimum 30% reduction in methane emissions from 2020 levels by 2030. India has not joined the GMP. 
    • Global Methane Tracker: The International Energy Agency’s Global Methane Tracker is a key tool for reducing methane emissions from the energy sector. 
    • UNEP Initiatives: The UN Environment Programme (UNEP) spearheads initiatives like the International Methane Emissions Observatory (IMEO) and the Oil and Gas Methane Partnership to monitor and reduce methane emissions from key sectors like agriculture. 
• Methane Cycle: It is the process by which methane (CH₄) is produced, released, and removed from the environment. 
  • Produced by microbes under anaerobic conditions (wetlands, rice fields, ruminants, landfills). 
  • Released into the atmosphere through natural and human activities. 
  • Removed by oxidation in soils and the atmosphere (mainly by OH radicals). 

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) 

Q. Why is methane considered more dangerous than carbon dioxide? 
Methane has a Global Warming Potential of 84 times CO₂ over 20 years, making it a major driver of near-term climate change. 

Q. What share of India’s methane emissions comes from the waste sector? 
Nearly 15% of India’s methane emissions originate from landfills and wastewater treatment due to anaerobic decomposition of organic waste. 

Q. What is the Global Methane Pledge? 
Launched at COP26, it aims for a 30% reduction in global methane emissions by 2030. India has not joined the pledge. 

UPSC Civil Services Examination, Previous Year Questions (PYQs)  

Q. Which of the following statements is/are correct about the deposits of ‘methane hydrate’? (2019) 

1. Global warming might trigger the release of methane gas from these deposits.  
2. Large deposits of ‘methane hydrate’ are found in Arctic Tundra and under the sea floor.  
3. Methane in the atmosphere oxidises to carbon dioxide after a decade or two.  

Select the correct answer using the code given below.

(a) 1 and 2 only   

(b) 2 and 3 only  

(c) 1 and 3 only  

(d) 1, 2 and 3  

Ans: (d)

Q. Due to their extensive rice cultivation, some regions may be contributing to global warming. To what possible reason/reasons is this attributable? (2010)

1. The anaerobic conditions associated with rice cultivation cause the emission of methane. 
2. When nitrogen based fertilizers are used, nitrous oxide is emitted from the cultivated soil. 

Which of the statements given above is/are correct? 

(a) 1 only  

(b) 2 only 

(c) Both 1 and 2  

(d) Neither 1 nor 2 

Ans: (c) 

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Mains

Q. Discuss global warming and mention its effects on the global climate. Explain the control measures to bring down the level of greenhouse gases which cause global warming in the light of the Kyoto Protocol, 1997. (2022)

Q. ‘Climate change’ is a global problem. How India will be affected by climate change? How Himalayan and coastal states of India will be affected by climate change? (2017)