How methane harms our health and what we can do about it

Intense warming threatens our infrastructure, livelihoods, health and well-being, but there are solutions that can make a real difference in people’s lives today.

The connection between methane and health

Methane — a potent greenhouse gas — is accelerating short-term warming far more than carbon dioxide would alone.

That warming is contributing to extreme flooding, stronger storms, more intense wildfires and prolonged drought made worse by rising temperatures.

These extreme weather events and disasters increase infectious-disease risk and heat-related illnesses and deaths while degrading water and air quality and making nutritious food less available. 

Methane also harms our health by contributing to ground-level ozone and pollution made up of tiny particles that cause or worsen breathing problems, heart disease, cancer and strokes. Methane is also often released along with other toxic air pollutants that can cause or worsen these health issues.

Most of the methane emissions caused by people today come from the oil and gas industry, as well as the agriculture and waste sectors. So focusing on these three areas will improve people’s health the most.  

Oil and gas

A quarter of global methane emissions come from methane leaks across the oil and gas supply chain. 

When released, methane mixes with other toxic chemicals and gases — such as benzene, toluene and xylene — to form ground-level ozone and air pollution. This worsens asthma in children and causes premature deaths. Toxic chemicals are often released alongside methane or created when natural gas is extracted from the ground, which worsens people’s health in nearby communities.

There are affordable ways to reduce these emissions, such as finding and fixing leaks more frequently, installing vapor recovery units, and replacing equipment like leaky pumps with low-emission alternatives.

Agriculture

Around 40% of global methane emissions come from agriculture, primarily from livestock farming. Although global livestock practices vary, increasing their productivity — for example, by investing in animal health — can benefit farmers, communities and the environment. 

Healthy livestock produce milk and meat with lower methane emissions and provide better incomes and nutrition for farming families and their communities around the world, especially small farmers.

Because milk or meat often needs to be thrown away when an animal is sick, improving animal health can also reduce food waste.

If manure is managed better as well, that will further reduce emissions and disease transmission, while reducing product contamination and the amount of ammonia released into the air, an especially dangerous form of air pollution.

Waste

Air pollution from burning waste can cause breathing and heart problems, and untreated animal and human waste leads to diseases caused by contaminated water and spread by insects like mosquitoes, ticks, fleas and flies.

Improving waste management at landfills and sanitation systems can cut methane emissions and improve the environment for local communities. It does this by reducing odors, improving air quality and lowering the transmission of potentially deadly diarrheal diseases.

With common-sense oil and gas industry practices, healthier livestock and better waste management, we can improve public health and slow the rate of global warming in our lifetimes, making this a healthier world for everyone.