Opinion: New York’s Falling CO2 Masks a Big Climate Problem — Rising Methane
At the end of last year, New York State released its latest annual greenhouse gas inventory, covering the year 2021. The good news was that carbon dioxide emissions went down from 2019, leading to an overall decrease in net greenhouse gases.
But this masks a big problem. Emissions of methane, a greenhouse gas that is 84-87 times more potent than CO2 as a planet warmer, have actually increased. Methane now comprises 40% of New York’s total net greenhouse gases, up from 39% in 2019.