The effects of greenhouse gas emissions on climate are now an
issue of public interest. Since 1997, the Kyoto Protocol has become
an international source of reference for dealing with greenhouse
gas emissions. Since then, there have been international meetings
on the same topic almost every year, such as those in Nairobi 2006,
Paris 2007, Cancun 2010, or Doha 2012.
Greenhouse gas emissions have many sources. Farming and
livestock industries are the main human activities generating
methane (Dennis, 2004). Recently, it has been discovered that live
plant leaves also emit methane. However, accurate global estimates
are hard to make (Schiermeier, 2006). In addition, methane emissions
in countries such as the UK have been incorrectly estimated
and are twice as high as the figures published by the British authorities
when they ratified the Kyoto Protocol (Swart et al., 2007).
In other words, we still do not have an accurate estimation of global
methane concentration in the atmosphere.