Gambia's Sources of CH4 Emissions
Key Insights
Methane Shapes Warming
Methane accounts for just over half of The Gambia's overall warming impact. Emissions were very low and stable early on, then increased through the post‑war era into the 2000s, driven mainly by livestock and crop production. Waste, fugitive emissions, and fuel combustion contribute smaller but notable shares.
Livestock Led, Then Eased
Livestock has been the dominant source, roughly two-fifths to half of methane emissions. From the 1960s to the mid‑2010s it rose steadily, peaking at well over 0.5 megatonnes. Since the mid‑2010s, it has declined to around 0.4 megatonnes, marking a clear reversal after decades of growth.
Crops Rose, With Swings
Crop production climbed over the long run but with pronounced variability. After a pullback from the mid‑1960s to mid‑1990s, emissions trended upward, at times reaching around two‑thirds of a megatonne, before settling more recently near 0.3 megatonnes. This leaves crops as the second‑largest source, around one‑third of total methane.
Waste And Energy Trends
Waste has accelerated since the mid‑2000s, rising from under 0.15 to nearly 0.3 megatonnes. Fugitive emissions jumped in the late 1980s to early 1990s and have since stabilized around the mid‑0.1s. Fuel combustion remains the smallest of the major sources and has eased slightly since around 2008.
Actionable Outlook
Today, livestock is trending downward, fuel combustion is gently declining, fugitive emissions are broadly stable, while crop production remains elevated and waste is rising. Sustaining the livestock decline and reversing growth in waste and crops would drive the biggest gains; because methane's effects are short‑lived, cuts here can reduce warming impact relatively quickly.
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 created using a large language model (LLM) in combination with our data, historic events, and a structured approach for best accuracy by 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.