🟩 METHANE AND THE WARMING EARTH

NATIONAL HERO — PETAL 001

🗓️ May 12, 2025
Thematic Focus: Environment, Climate Change, Energy 🌏🔥

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🪶 Intro Whisper

While carbon grabs the spotlight, it is methane — silent, unseen, and deadly — that sneaks beneath the radar, warming the planet with 80 times the intensity.

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🔍 Key Highlights from IEA’s Global Methane Tracker 2025

• Methane’s Impact: Methane is a powerful greenhouse gas, contributing ~30% to the global temperature rise since the Industrial Revolution. Its concentration is now 2.5x higher than pre-industrial levels.

• Sector-wise Emissions:

• Energy Sector: Over 35% of human-related emissions.
  • Oil: ~45 million tonnes
  • Natural Gas: ~35 million tonnes
  • Abandoned Wells: ~3 million tonnes
  • Coal: ~40 million tonnes
• Bioenergy: ~18 million tonnes from incomplete combustion of biomass in developing nations. Modern bioenergy (biogas/biofuels) also contributes but can be cleaner if managed well.

• Reduction Potential:

• 70% of methane emissions from fossil fuels can be cut with existing technology.
• Oil & Gas: 75% mitigation possible through simple steps like sealing leaky wells and upgrading equipment.

• Abandoned Facilities: Emerging as one of the largest sources of methane from fossil fuels.

• Global Methane Pledge (GMP):

• Target: 30% cut from 2020 levels by 2030
• Status: China & India not signed. Few NDCs include concrete methane measures.

• Funding Needs:

• Oil & Gas: $175 billion
• Coal: $85 billion
• Fossil fuel firms can bear this cost with minimal impact on profits.

• Implementation Gaps:

• Many nations underestimate methane emissions.
• Lack of accurate data and financing gap in developing nations is a major roadblock.

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🗺️ GS Paper Mapping

GS Paper 3
• Environment and Climate Change
• Energy Security
• International Climate Commitments
• Environmental Pollution and Conservation

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🌱 A Thought Spark — by IAS Monk

“Methane vanishes into the air, but its memory lingers in the fevered breath of the Earth. The invisible must be accounted for — before the planet remembers us only as heat.”

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High Quality Mains Essay For Practice :

Word Limit 1000-1200

“The Biography of CH₄: A Fire in the Shadows of Time”

📝 — An Essay on the Past, Present, and Future of Methane

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Introduction: A Silent Flame in the Climate Crisis

It doesn’t roar like a volcano or storm through coastlines like a cyclone. Yet, methane — a gas lighter than air and invisible to the eye — has emerged as one of the most powerful forces shaping Earth’s climate story. Responsible for nearly 30% of the global temperature rise since the Industrial Revolution, methane (CH₄) is a paradox — essential yet dangerous, natural yet increasingly human-induced. This essay explores the past, present, and future of methane — not merely as a chemical compound, but as a silent protagonist in humanity’s environmental journey.

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I. The Origins: Methane in the Natural Past

Long before humans struck their first matchstick or drilled their first well, methane was already alive beneath our feet and within the bellies of life.

Methane occurs naturally in swamps, wetlands, oceans, and permafrost. It is a byproduct of anaerobic decomposition — organic matter breaking down in oxygen-poor environments. For millions of years, methane emissions and absorptions were balanced by Earth’s ecosystems. Termites, ruminants, wetlands, and volcanoes all played their part. Methane became an integral component of the planet’s carbon cycle, acting as a natural stabilizer within ecological systems.

But methane’s potency — over 80 times more powerful than CO₂ over a 20-year period — remained dormant in the public consciousness. It wasn’t until the industrial explosion of fossil fuel extraction that methane started to leak, hiss, and explode into our shared atmospheric destiny.

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II. The Present Crisis: Human Hands, Leaking Wells

In the modern era, methane’s story took a dangerous turn. Human-induced methane emissions — from agriculture, energy production, and waste — now account for the majority of CH₄ in the atmosphere.

• Agriculture, particularly enteric fermentation from livestock like cows and sheep, is a major emitter. Rice paddies — manmade wetlands — further contribute to methane release.
• Energy Sector is even more alarming. Oil, gas, and coal operations leak millions of tonnes of methane annually — not just through active production but also abandoned wells, pipelines, and mines.
• Waste Management, especially from landfills and untreated sewage, releases methane as organic material decays.

According to the IEA’s Global Methane Tracker 2025, methane concentrations have risen to 2.5 times their pre-industrial levels. Yet, what makes this tragedy more unforgivable is the fact that up to 70% of methane emissions from fossil fuels could be reduced with current technologies — through equipment upgrades, leak detection, and better waste handling.

The Global Methane Pledge, launched in 2021, aims to cut methane emissions by 30% from 2020 levels by 2030. However, progress remains sluggish. Large emitters like China and India have not signed, and many countries fail to integrate methane action into their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) under the Paris Agreement.

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III. The Methane Trap: Environmental Implications

Methane’s environmental impact extends beyond just warming:

• Accelerated Arctic Melting: Methane trapped in permafrost is now at risk of release, setting up a dangerous feedback loop. As the Arctic warms, more methane is released, which in turn speeds up warming.

• Air Quality Degradation: Methane is a precursor to ground-level ozone, a harmful pollutant that contributes to respiratory diseases and reduces agricultural productivity.

• Short-Term Climate Forcer: While methane has a shorter atmospheric lifetime (about 12 years) compared to CO₂, its heat-trapping ability is far more intense in the short term. This makes methane reduction a high-impact climate mitigation strategy.

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IV. The Financial & Policy Dilemma

The IEA estimates that $260 billion ($175B for oil & gas, $85B for coal) could fund methane reduction at scale. Yet this sum represents a fraction of fossil fuel profits — indicating that lack of political will, not feasibility, is the real barrier.

Moreover, methane abatement does not always feature prominently in climate finance. Most international funding mechanisms are CO₂-centric. There’s a pressing need for:

• Methane-specific financing tools
• Rigorous global methane monitoring systems
• Inclusion of methane in climate trade mechanisms and carbon pricing models

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V. The Future: Repairing the Air We Breathe

The future of methane — and humanity — depends on how quickly we act and how honestly we account.

Technological fixes exist:

• Leak Detection and Repair (LDAR) systems
• Methane-sensing satellites like MethaneSAT and GHGSat
• Flaring alternatives to minimize routine venting
• Low-emission rice cultivation and livestock feed additives that reduce methane in agriculture

Policy innovation must follow:

• Binding methane targets in climate treaties
• Financial disincentives for emissions
• Public awareness and sectoral accountability

And yet, the future must also contain a moral dimension. Methane challenges us to reckon not just with science, but with ethics. It forces us to ask: how long can we profit off decay and still call it progress?

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Conclusion: The Choice is Ours

Methane is not merely a molecule. It is a metaphor — for the invisible forces we ignore until it’s too late. It represents the urgency of the present and the ghosts of our past emissions. But it also offers a rare opportunity: if we act decisively, methane reductions can slow warming in our lifetimes.

In the end, CH₄ is the fire we lit, the gas we forgot, and perhaps the hope we still have. Its biography is not yet complete. The final chapters — redemption or ruin — remain unwritten. And the pen, as always, lies in our hands.

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✍️ Quote to End With:

“It is not the loud disasters that undo civilizations — it is the silent leaks.”

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Target IAS-26: Daily MCQs :

📌 Prelims Practice MCQs

Topic:

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✅ MCQ 1 (Type 1: How many of the above statements are correct?)
Consider the following statements regarding methane emissions as per IEA Global Methane Tracker 2025:
The energy sector is responsible for over 35% of human-related methane emissions.
Methane’s atmospheric concentration is now nearly double compared to pre-industrial levels.
The Global Methane Pledge aims to reduce methane emissions by 30% from 2020 levels by 2030.
Oil and gas companies can finance methane reduction efforts with significant impact on their net income.
How many of the above statements are correct?
A) Only two
B) Only three
C) All four
D) Only one

🌀 Didn’t get it? Click here (▸) for the Correct Answer & Explanation

✅ Correct Answer: B) Only three

🧠 Explanation:
•1) ✅ Correct – Energy sector accounts for over 35% of methane emissions. •2) ❌ Incorrect – Methane levels are 2.5 times (not just nearly double) pre-industrial levels. •3) ✅ Correct – The Global Methane Pledge aims to cut emissions by 30% from 2020 levels by 2030. •4) ✅ Correct – IEA states fossil fuel companies can afford the cost with minimal income impact.

✅ Only 1, 3, and 4 are correct.

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✅ MCQ 2 (Type 2: Two statements — both, one, or neither correct?)
Statement 1: India and China have both signed the Global Methane Pledge.
Statement 2: Abandoned wells and mines are emerging as major sources of fossil fuel methane emissions.
What is the correct option?
A) Only 1 is correct
B) Only 2 is correct
C) Both are correct
D) Neither is correct

🌀 Didn’t get it? Click here (▸) for the Correct Answer & Explanation

✅ Correct Answer: B) Only 2 is correct

🧠 Explanation:
•1) ❌ Incorrect – India and China have not signed the Global Methane Pledge. •2) ✅ Correct – The report highlights emissions from abandoned wells and mines as major contributors.

✅ Both statements are correct.

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MCQ 3 – Type 3: Which of the statements is/are correct?
Q. Which of the following statements is/are correct about the policy and scaling needs of Agriphotovoltaics (APVs) in India?
• 1) India currently has a dedicated nationwide agrivoltaics policy.
• 2) PM-KUSUM scheme can be expanded to include APV models.
• 3) Smallholder farmers can benefit from financial incentives and credit guarantees for APV adoption.
• 4) Technical training and capacity-building programs are essential for APV expansion.
Options:
A) 2, 3, and 4 only
B) 1 and 2 only
C) All four
D) 1 and 3 only

🌀 Didn’t get it? Click here (▸) for the Correct Answer & Explanation

✅ Correct Answer: A) 2, 3, and 4 only

🧠 Explanation:
• 1) ❌ Incorrect – India currently lacks a designated agrivoltaics policy.

• 2) ✅ Correct – PM-KUSUM can be revised to incorporate APVs.

• 3) ✅ Correct – Credit support and subsidies are essential for small farmers.

• 4) ✅ Correct – Capacity-building is a must for successful implementation.

✅ Only 2, 3, and 4 are correct.

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MCQ 4 – Type 4: Direct Fact
Q. Who first proposed the concept of Agriphotovoltaics (APVs)?
A) Sunder Lal Bahuguna and Vandana Shiva
B) Adolf Goetzberger and Armin Zastrow
C) Verghese Kurien and M.S. Swaminathan
D) Elon Musk and Andrew Blakers

🌀 Didn’t get it? Click here (▸) for the Correct Answer & Explanation.

✅ Correct Answer: B) Adolf Goetzberger and Armin Zastrow

🧠 Explanation:
• • The idea of agrivoltaics was first proposed in 1981 by German scientists Adolf Goetzberger and Armin Zastrow.

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