Gabon's Sources of CH4 Emissions
Key Insights
Early Emissions and Colonial Impact
In the early decades, Gabon's methane emissions were minimal, with negligible contributions from crop production and livestock. The Colonial Rubber Boom in the late 19th century likely led to increased CO₂ emissions due to deforestation, although its direct impact on methane emissions is not well-documented. The early 20th century saw a gradual increase in emissions, primarily from waste and fuel combustion.
Oil Production and Emission Surge
The 1970s marked a significant turning point with the expansion of oil production, leading to a substantial rise in methane emissions, particularly from fugitive emissions associated with oil extraction. This period saw a dramatic increase in emissions, reflecting Gabon's growing role as a major oil producer. The logging industry growth in the 1980s further contributed to emissions, although the primary driver remained the oil sector.
Conservation Efforts and Emission Reduction
The establishment of national parks in 1992 and 2002 played a crucial role in mitigating emissions by preserving carbon sinks and reducing deforestation. These conservation efforts, along with sustainable forestry initiatives in 2010, helped stabilize emissions, despite fluctuations in oil production. Gabon's commitment to the Paris Agreement in 2015 and the carbon credit agreement with Norway in 2019 further underscored its dedication to reducing emissions and enhancing carbon sequestration.
Recent Trends and Future Outlook
In recent years, Gabon's methane emissions have shown signs of stabilization, with a notable decrease in fugitive emissions. The country's ongoing efforts to balance economic development with environmental conservation are likely to continue influencing its emissions trajectory. As Gabon navigates its future, the interplay between its natural resource management and international climate commitments will be pivotal in shaping its emissions profile.
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.