U.S. Methane Emissions Inventory and Projections, 1990-2020

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) report provides a baseline forecast of methane emissions from major anthropogenic and natural sources. Emissions estimates are given for 1990 through 1997 with projections for 2000 to 2020, including cost estimates for reduction. Methane is identified as the second leading anthropogenic contributor to global climate change after carbon dioxide.

Use Cases

• Forecasting methane emission trends based on historical estimates and future projections.
• Modeling the economic costs of emission reductions based on the report's cost estimates.
• Analyzing contributions from specific anthropogenic sources like landfills, livestock, and natural gas systems.
• Comparing emission levels from natural sources like wetlands and termites against human-caused sources.

Strengths

• Provides a 30-year temporal scope with historical data (1990-1997) and projections (2000-2020).
• Covers 12 distinct major anthropogenic and natural methane sources as listed in the description.
• Includes cost estimates for reducing emissions, adding an economic dimension.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Last updated 2020-12-31 23:59:59.999000; freshness should be verified.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.

Provenance

Source

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

Collection Method

Report presenting a baseline forecast and cost estimates.

Time Range

1990-1997 (estimates), 2000-2020 (projections)

Freshness

2020-12-31 23:59:59.999000

Geography

United States