Scientists have reported that methane and nitrous oxide found in human breath are more harmful to the environment than carbon dioxide (CO₂).
According to RT on December 14, a study published this week in the peer-reviewed scientific journal PLoS One indicates that human breath also contributes to global warming.
The new study suggests that human breathing contributes to global warming – (Image credit: RT/GETTY IMAGES).
The authors argue that the contribution of human breath to climate change has been underestimated and requires further study.
Specifically, after measuring the gas composition in the breath of 328 participants, researchers concluded that human breath accounts for 0.05% of methane emissions (methane – CH4) and 0.1% of nitrous oxide emissions (nitrous oxide – N2O) in the United Kingdom.
The UK is a country that has set a target to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 78% by 2035, compared to 1990 levels.
The study suggests that both types of gases “have the potential to cause global warming much higher than carbon dioxide (carbon dioxide – CO2)”.
The researchers, led by atmospheric physicist Nicholas Cowan at the UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, noted: “We advise caution when assuming that human emissions are negligible.”
Cowan explained that while “the contribution of CO2 in human breath to climate change is essentially zero” because plants absorb almost all of this gas, the two aforementioned gases still persist in the atmosphere. Methane retains heat 80 times more effectively than CO2 during the first 20 years it exists in the atmosphere.
The authors warn that their study only examines breath and call for deeper research into the overall picture related to human emissions. Further studies may reveal more about “the impact of an aging population and changing diets” on the planet.
