Methane in Earth’s atmosphere rose by record amount last year, US government data shows

The record increases in methane suggest it is being leaked from oil and gas drilling operations. Photograph: Laurent Cipriani/AP

Atmospheric levels of methane, a powerful greenhouse gas, increased by a record amount for the second year in a row in 2021, according to US government data.

The concentration of methane in the Earth’s atmosphere jumped by 17 parts per billion (ppb) in 2021, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (Noaa) monitoring found, the largest annual increase recorded since modern measurements began in 1983. The previous record increase, of 15.3ppb, was set in 2020.