The impact of human activity on the environment has become a significant issue in recent years. Unchecked exploitation of natural resources, exponential increase in the population leading to rapid urbanization, and inappropriate disposal of waste material have had devastating consequences.
Climatic change, marked by global warming, and its ensuing consequences present a bleak picture for all living things. To counter this disturbing trend, many countries and industries have adopted policies to reduce the adverse impact of economic activity on the environment.
Carbon dioxide is a major greenhouse gas, which is why CO2 emissions have been a focal point for many governmental regulations. However, another culprit that needs to be examined is methane.
Environmental Impact of Methane
Methane, or CH4, is among the main greenhouse gases that wreak havoc on the Earth’s atmosphere. Its greenhouse effect is approximately 86 times stronger than that of carbon dioxide.
There is one saving grace and that is relative lifespans of methane and carbon dioxide. While CO2 has an atmospheric lifespan of 300 to 1,000 years, methane has a much shorter lifespan of 12 years. It implies that the positive impact of controlling methane emissions is quicker than the positive impact of capping carbon dioxide emissions.
Most of the methane in the atmosphere, around 60%, is produced as a direct consequence of human activities. Human activities that make the most methane include agriculture, which contributes 40% of the methane produced, followed closely by the use of fossil fuels.
Fossil fuels, especially natural gas, which is 97% methane, are high in methane content. Natural gas is widely used as an energy source and is generally considered a cleaner fossil fuel than coal or oil. Still, it significantly contributes to methane in the atmosphere, which has a devastating effect on the environment.
Here is why it is necessary to control methane emissions:
- Methane is a greenhouse gas. It traps heat and exacerbates the phenomenon of global warming.
- The presence of methane in the atmosphere has negative health effects. It is a toxin that causes respiratory problems in living things. Methane, it is estimated, is responsible for 1 million premature deaths annually.
- Aside from the deaths, chronic conditions contracted by individuals further burden the healthcare system that is already insufficient.
- The gas is an ecological pollutant that harms living things. Agricultural yields have been shown to go down due to excessive amounts of methane in the air. This can lead to food insecurity in many places of the world.
Cutting Back on Methane Emissions in Urban Planning
Urban areas contribute to methane emissions. While farming, both arable and pastoral, is the number one producer of methane, cutting back on urban emissions is even more urgent. This is due to the negative health effects of methane.
Urban areas are densely populated and polluted air leads to respiratory illnesses on a mass scale, a phenomenon experienced in recent years. A study conducted in 2017 found that the incidence of chronic respiratory illnesses was 39.8% greater than their 1990 level globally.
Planning and Designing Cities to Save Energy
Reducing energy needs is a pressing issue. The rise in human population has indeed led to increased demand for energy, however inefficient use of energy is also a serious problem. People waste huge amounts of energy by commuting long distances just to get to work or school each day.
Cities should be designed in the form of smaller, self-sufficient sectors. Each sector should include all the necessary goods and services that residents need regularly. This includes schools, hospitals, grocery stores, and malls. All of these amenities should be close so citizens can access them by walking.
A well-connected system of mass transit, like a subway, should be developed so every area of the city can be reached. In addition to this, legislation to discourage the use of cars and other motor vehicles should be introduced.
Unnecessary travel should be minimized and discouraged to conserve energy. It is necessary to cut back on energy utilization wherever we can. Vertical living should be subsidies and encouraged to keep cities compact and stop the sprawl of urban areas.
Limit the Possibility of Gas Leakages
Gas leakages are a serious issue since they lead to significant methane emissions. Natural gas extraction and distribution sites, in particular, are prone to large quantities of gas leaking into the air. Even households and commercial properties are not safe if the proper safety measures are not taken.
Gas extraction, processing, and distribution companies should be strictly monitored and regulated. Transportation of natural gas needs to be done with care since these are common sources of gas leakages. There is also the practice of methane venting whereby companies purposefully release large quantities of methane as a safety precaution.
Companies like ReCo Energy Solutions provide services to carefully and safely transport gas and help maintain gas-related facilities. The use of such services should be mandated so gas-related companies can operate more cautiously. They should also be held accountable when a gas leak does happen. Penalties or fines should be implemented to discourage complacency concerning safety.
Energy companies should overall adopt better technology and methodology to prevent unnecessary leakages of oil or gas into the environment. Stricter regulation is needed so companies can be more vigilant.
Commercial and residential property owners should be required to conduct regular safety checks. Legislation requiring property owners to keep their gas appliances well-maintained and repaired should be implemented. Energy-efficient appliances should be encouraged by giving subsidies.
Proper Disposal of Urban Waste
Urban waste disposal systems are, more often than not, inadequate and downright deadly in some cases. Many cities have a designated landfill where all the urban waste is dumped indiscriminately. These landfill sites have the potential to make the surrounding area toxic and possibly uninhabitable.
The proper way to dispose of urban waste is to carefully divide the waste by type into categories and collect them so each category can be processed accordingly. This division and categorization aids in recycling, which is a process whereby waste material is made productive once again.
A classic example is turning organic waste, like rotten food, into compost. Recycling has dual benefits. It reduces pollution by processing what otherwise would have been useless waste, and it reduces the need to use natural resources as products can be made out of waste materials, like making new paper from used paper.
Use of Biofuel
Biofuel is not a new technology. It has been in use for centuries. Biofuel converts organic waste products into energy that can power industries, homes, and motor vehicles. This not only reduces dependence on conventional sources of energy, namely fossil fuels, but it also reduces methane emissions.
Biofuel combustion produces less greenhouse gases. The burning of biofuel for energy does not produce carbon monoxide or sulfur oxide leading to reduced greenhouse effect and release of toxins into the atmosphere. Biofuel emissions do not have adverse health effects, like respiratory illnesses and cancer, as do the emissions of other types of fuels.
It is a viable source of renewable energy. Animal dung can be used to produce biofuel. It primarily contains methane and is also the reason why farming is the primary source of emissions. The methane in animal dung can be converted into biofuel through a process of fermentation.
Using biofuels is an excellent strategy to tap into a renewable source of energy and ensure that the waste produced is recycled. Waste can be used to produce energy leading to a sustainable cycle of development.
Improving Education
Awareness and education are necessary so sustainable solutions can be adopted on an individual as well as a community level. Every person needs to play a part in reducing emissions. Being aware of the issue and possible solutions means that everyone in their individual capacity can pitch in. Everyone acting on their own can make a huge difference collectively.
Reducing emissions is not an easy task. When people know the harm caused by emissions and ways to prevent them, they will actively participate by being more conscious about using energy, disposing of waste, and opting for eco-friendlier products. Information is key to the adoption of a more sustainable lifestyle.
Sustainable Solutions for a Better Future
Sustainability is not simply a buzzword, it is the need of the hour. Years of resource exploitation and environmental degradation have had very real consequences. If we do not take steps to change the trajectory of how things are going, the consequences on the environment and life in general will be disastrous.
The switch to a sustainable lifestyle is long overdue. We must act now and reduce harmful emissions immediately to stall if not stop the devastation caused by human activity. Capping methane emissions is a necessary step that can have very positive results quickly due to the short atmospheric lifespan of methane.
Author Bio:
Mughees Qureshi provides copywriting services and writes quality articles and blogs. He is experienced in writing on topics related to all domains with impactful knowledge. He occasionally writes articles for “ReCo Energy Solutions”.
