Finland's Sources of CH4 Emissions
Key Insights
Early Industrialization and Emission Growth
In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Finland's industrialization began to take shape, marked by the opening of its first railway in 1862. This development likely contributed to a gradual increase in methane emissions from fuel combustion as coal use expanded. However, the Finnish Civil War in 1918 temporarily disrupted industrial activities, potentially leading to a short-term dip in emissions.
Post-War Industrial Boom
The mid-20th century saw a significant rise in emissions, particularly from livestock and waste. The Continuation War in 1941 spurred industrial activities, further increasing emissions. By the 1950s, emissions from livestock and waste had become prominent, reflecting Finland's growing agricultural and industrial sectors. The introduction of nuclear energy in 1959 marked a shift towards cleaner energy, although its immediate impact on methane emissions was limited.
Energy Crises and Policy Shifts
The 1973 oil crisis prompted Finland to diversify its energy sources, leading to a temporary reduction in emissions from oil. However, the expansion of peat use in the 1980s contributed to increased emissions. The economic recession in the early 1990s led to a temporary decrease in emissions, while EU membership in 1995 introduced stricter environmental regulations, gradually reducing emissions.
Commitment to Climate Goals
Entering the 21st century, Finland's commitment to international climate agreements, such as the Kyoto Protocol in 2003 and the Paris Agreement in 2015, drove significant reductions in methane emissions. The promotion of renewable energy in 2009 and the ambitious carbon neutrality goal set in 2020 further accelerated these efforts, positioning Finland as a leader in climate action. Recent data indicates a notable decrease in emissions from waste, reflecting the country's ongoing transition towards a low-carbon economy.
Background
The chart shows a national breakdown by source of the yearly methane (CH4) emissions from human activities expressed as weight in megatonnes (Mt). In the scientific literature, these are referred to as anthropogenic emissions. Human-induced methane emissions increase atmospheric methane, which is warming the Earth. The sources of human methane emissions are
- Livestock
- Fugitive emissions from the fossil fuel industry
- Crop production
- Fossil fuel combustion
- Waste management
- Other processes
Methane's Global Warming Potential
Methane has a much higher Global Warming Potential (GWP) than CO2. However, the effect lasts only for a relatively brief period (9 years on average), compared to hundreds of years for CO2. A reduction in emissions can cause a rapid decline in its atmospheric levels and climate impact.
Livestock
Livestock emits methane that is produced in the animals' digestive system. Most methane is emitted from the mouth during rumination. A much smaller amount of methane is emitted from the manure. Depending on how the manure is managed, i.e., wet or dry, more methane is emitted. Wet management leads to higher methane emissions than dry management. However, dry management also emits nitrous oxide (N2O), which is another potent greenhouse gas.
Fugitive emissions from fossil fuel industry
Fugitive methane emissions are from the intentional and accidental release of methane, which happens during the extraction, storage, and transportation processes in the fossil fuel industry. Examples are methane leaks during oil and gas handling, storage, transport, incomplete combustion, and many more. Also, methane is deliberately ventilated from mines during the extraction of coal.
Methane is a primary part of “gas”, also called “natural gas” or “fossil gas”. Natural gas is used, for example, for heating and electricity generation, whereby it emits CO2 during the combustion process. However, when natural gas leaks (unburned) it contains a lot of fugitive methane emissions.
Waste
Waste from landfills and wastewater produces a lot of methane when biodegradable material breaks down without oxygen.
Crop production
Crop production emissions are largely from rice cultivation, which generates large amounts of methane during plant growth. These emissions are from flooded paddies, which create the swamp-like environment of rice fields. There are agricultural techniques to reduce emissions significantly, like periodic drainage and aeration. Rice is the main staple for about half the world's population, and its emissions are a significant part of total human methane emissions.
Fuel combustion
Fuel combustion emissions are mostly from the incomplete combustion of fossil fuels. As mentioned before, natural gas consists largely of methane, and when the combustion does not happen completely, methane enters the atmosphere.
Other
Other human-induced methane emissions include industrial processes and product uses.
Wikipedia: Anthropogenic Sources of Atmospheric MethaneIPCC: AR6, 5.2.2.2 Anthropogenic CH4 emissions
Units and Measures
CH4 emissions are expressed in the total weight in megatonnes per year. 1 Megatonne is equal to 1 million tonnes.
Wikipedia: MegatonneWikipedia: Global warming potential
About the Data
The last available year in all the emission datasets is 2023. Methane emissions come from the PRIMAP-Hist dataset. It is a rich dataset that combines several published sources to create a historical emissions time series for various greenhouse gases.
The Key Insights paragraph was generated using a large language model (LLM) using a structured approach to improve the accuracy. This included separating the context generation from the interpretation and narrative.
Data Sources
PRIMAP-hist The PRIMAP-hist national historical emissions time series (1750-2023)
Update cycle: Every few monthsDelay: Less than 1 yearCredits: Gütschow, Johannes; Busch, Daniel; Pflüger, Mika (2024): The PRIMAP-hist national historical emissions time series (1750-2023) v2.6. Zenodo.