Methane in the atmosphere contributes significantly to global warming

The German-French climate satellite will measure methane concentrations. This gas contributes to global warming in the same way as carbon dioxide, but its effect is 25 times greater. When it comes to the human-induced increase in quantity in the atmosphere, methane has clearly overtaken carbon dioxide. Since pre-industrial times, the methane in the atmosphere has more than doubled – while the increase in carbon dioxide over the same period has been 'only' 30 percent. As with carbon dioxide, methane is one of the gases for which emissions are to be reduced under the Kyoto Protocol.