{"id":105620,"date":"2024-05-01T19:30:33","date_gmt":"2024-05-01T14:00:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/?post_type=current-affairs&#038;p=105620"},"modified":"2025-02-13T11:29:52","modified_gmt":"2025-02-13T05:59:52","slug":"methane-producing-bacterias","status":"publish","type":"current-affairs","link":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/current-affairs\/methane-producing-bacterias","title":{"rendered":"Production of New Methane by Microbes"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2><b><span style=\"font-size: 18pt;\">Context:<\/span> <\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Recently,<\/span> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">an intensive modeling study has found that <\/span><b>microbes have been the biggest sources of methane in the atmosphere, not the burning of fossil fuels.<\/b><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-size: 18pt;\"><b>More on News:\u00a0\u00a0<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Methane emissions from fossil fuels declined <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">between 1990 and the 2000s and have been stable since, whereas<\/span><b> microbes have been producing more methane<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">At the <\/span><b>U.N. climate talks in 2021, <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">member countries launched the <\/span><b>\u2018Global Methane Pledge\u2019<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> to cut the gas\u2019s emissions and slow the planet\u2019s warming.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<table style=\"width: 100.299%;\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 100%; border-style: solid; border-color: #000000; background-color: #b8a5d987;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><b>Need for Local Data:<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><b>Data Mismatch: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This recent data is mismatched with <\/span><b>two emissions inventories, called EDGAR and GAINS.\u00a0<\/b><\/span>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><b>EDGAR: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It had reported that methane emissions from oil and natural gas exploration had increased between 1990 and 2020.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><b>GAINS:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> It had recorded a large \u201cunconventional\u201d rise in emissions since 2006.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><b>Reason of Mismatch:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> One possible reason could be <\/span><b>an increase in cattle-rearing in Latin America <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">and <\/span><b>more emissions from waste in South and Southeast Asia, Latin America, and Africa<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. Also, the number of<\/span><b> wetlands worldwide had increased<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Most studies which use satellites cannot measure the actual [changes over time] of methane. Satellite data is interpreted using models and thus are<\/span><b> prone to uncertainties.<\/b><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<h2><span style=\"font-size: 18pt;\"><b>Methane:<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><b>A Greenhouse Gas: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Methane is the <\/span><b>second most abundant<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> anthropogenic greenhouse gas after carbon dioxide (CO2) <\/span><b>but it warms the planet more.\u00a0<\/b>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Over a century, methane has a <\/span><b>global warming potential 28-times greater than CO2,<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and even higher over shorter periods like two decades.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><b>Its Sources:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Scientists are increasingly recognising various sources of methane, most of which fit in two categories: <\/span><b>biogenic and thermogenic.<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li><b>Thermogenic: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When fossil fuels such as natural gas or oil are extracted from deep within the earth\u2019s crust, thermogenic methane is released.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li><b>Biogenic:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> This methane comes from microbial action.<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Both biogenic and thermogenic activities <\/span><b>produce different isotopes of methane.<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Tracking the isotopes by carbon-13 is a way to track which sources are the most active.<\/span>\n<ul style=\"list-style-type: disc;\">\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If there are <\/span><b>fewer carbon-13 atoms<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> than a certain level in a group of 1,000 methane molecules, the methane is from a <\/span><b>biological source.\u00a0<\/b><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If the methane is from <\/span><b>thermogenic sources,<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> such as trapped fossil fuels or geological activities, there will be<\/span><b> more carbon-13 atoms<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> in 1,000 molecules.<\/span>\n<ul style=\"list-style-type: circle;\">\n<li><b>Carbon-13 atoms of this carbon isotope have 13 nucleons: 6 protons + 7 neutrons<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><b>Action Required:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> To reduce methane, <\/span><b>anthropogenic activity should be first controlled.\u00a0<\/b>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Anthropogenic activity includes <\/span><b>waste and landfills, rice fields, enteric fermentation, oil and gas, and coal.<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><span style=\"font-size: 18pt;\"><b>About Methane producing Bacterias:\u00a0<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><b>Methanogens: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The microbes that produce methane are archaea (single-celled microorganisms) distinct from bacteria and eukaryotes and are called methanogens.<\/span><b>\u00a0<\/b><\/li>\n<li><b>Surviving Condition:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> They thrive in <\/span><b>oxygen-deficient environments, <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">such as the digestive tracts of animals, wetlands, rice paddies, landfills, and the sediments of lakes and oceans.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><b>Significance:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Methanogens play a <\/span><b>crucial role in the global carbon cycle<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> by converting organic matter into methane.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"list-style-type: none;\">\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">While methane is a potent greenhouse gas, its production by methanogens is<\/span><b> an essential part of natural ecosystems.<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"3\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">But human activities like agriculture, dairy farming, and fossil fuel production have further increased methane emissions.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<table>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"border-style: solid; border-color: #000000; background-color: #b8a5d987;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><b>Initiatives to Tackle Methane Emissions:<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><b>Global:<\/b><\/span>\n<ul>\n<li aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><b>Methane Alert and Response System (MARS): <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">To integrate data from a large number of existing and future satellites that have the ability to detect methane emission events anywhere in the world, send out notifications to the relevant stakeholders to act on it.<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><b>Global Methane Pledge: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It has its origin at the Glasgow climate conference (UNFCCC COP 26) in 2021, to cut methane emissions by <\/span><b>at least 30% by 2030 from the 2020 levels.<\/b><\/span>\n<ul>\n<li aria-level=\"3\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><b>India is not a part of the Global Methane Pledge.<\/b><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><b>Global Methane Initiative (GMI): <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It is an international public-private partnership focused on reducing barriers to the recovery and use of methane as a clean energy source.<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><b>India:<\/b><\/span>\n<ul>\n<li aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><b>Harit Dhara (HD): <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">By<\/span> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) to cut down cattle methane emissions by 17-20% and can also result in higher milk production.<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><b>India Greenhouse Gas Program: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It is led by WRI India (non-profit organization), Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) is an industry-led voluntary framework to measure and manage greenhouse gas emissions.<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><b>National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC):<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> It was<\/span> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">launched in 2008 to create awareness among the representatives of the public, different agencies of the government, scientists, industry and the communities on the threat posed by climate change and the steps to counter it.<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><b>Bharat Stage-VI Norms: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">India shifted from Bharat Stage-IV (BS-IV) to Bharat Stage-VI (BS-VI) emission norms.<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><b><i>Read More About <\/i><\/b><a href=\"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/current-affairs\/methane-alert-and-response-system\/\"><b><i>Methane<\/i><\/b><\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Context: Recently, an intensive modeling study has found that microbes have been the biggest sources of methane in the atmosphere, not the burning of fossil fuels. More on News:\u00a0\u00a0 Methane emissions from fossil fuels declined between 1990 and the 2000s and have been stable since, whereas microbes have been producing more methane. At the U.N.&hellip; <a class=\"more-link\" href=\"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/current-affairs\/methane-producing-bacterias\">Continue reading <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Production of New Methane by Microbes<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":11,"featured_media":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rank_math_lock_modified_date":false,"footnotes":""},"tags":[],"paper-wise":[2089],"subject":[4642],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/current-affairs\/105620"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/current-affairs"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/current-affairs"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/11"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=105620"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/current-affairs\/105620\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":105624,"href":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/current-affairs\/105620\/revisions\/105624"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=105620"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=105620"},{"taxonomy":"paper-wise","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/paper-wise?post=105620"},{"taxonomy":"subject","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/subject?post=105620"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}