ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Atmospheric methane

Hello, young one! Are you curious about atmospheric methane? Methane is a gas that's found in our planet's atmosphere. It's colorless and odorless, so you can't see or smell it, but it's still very important!

Methane is created by natural processes like the breakdown of organic matter in swamps or the intestines of cows. It's also made by human activities like farming, mining, and drilling for oil and gas.

Methane is a greenhouse gas. That means it traps heat in our planet's atmosphere, which warms up the Earth. Too much methane can cause global warming which is bad for our planet.

One of the biggest sources of methane is cows. When cows digest their food, they produce methane gas. And because there are so many cows in the world, their methane emissions can add up quickly.

To help reduce the amount of methane in the atmosphere, people are working on ways to make cows produce less methane, and they are also trying to find cleaner ways to produce energy.

So that's atmospheric methane, little one. It's a gas that's created by natural processes and human activities, and it's important to our planet!