From NoTricksZone

By Kenneth Richard on 18. December 2023

“Where hydrocarbon chains (food types) are consumed by humans and turned into CH4 [methane] … global warming potential is no longer neutral, and human respiration has a net warming effect on the atmosphere.”  – Prada et al., 2023

According to a new study, humans “contribute to global warming” by exhaling greenhouse gases like methane and carbon dioxide 16 times per minute.

“Exhaled human breath can contain small, elevated concentrations of methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide (N2O), both of which contribute to global warming. These emissions from humans are not well understood and are rarely quantified in global greenhouse gas inventories.”

Like bovine populations, humans are referred to as “methane producers” (MPs), respiring and burping this potent greenhouse gas simply by existing. (Concerns about methane’s global warming potential are so significant that New Zealand is imposing a “methane tax” on the nation’s cows, as these MP animals are heating up the planet with their burps.)

The MP determination for humans unfortunately includes some culturally controversial claims (that could be interpreted as racist or sexist). The authors of this study claim that Africans are reported to more likely to warm the Earth with their breath and burps than other ethnic groups, and that women (38%) are more likely than men (25%) to be MPs too.

“It has been reported in previous studies that region of birth or ethnicity is a strong indicator of the likelihood to be an MP, with African populations much more likely to be MPs than Asian populations.”

“The results reported in this study are consistent with most previous studies that found a higher percentage of MPs in females (38%) when compared to males (25%).”

Humans also add CO2 – another greenhouse gas – to the air each time we exhale, and thus our breath’s CO2 emissions “contribute to global warming” too. An average of ~44,000 ppm CO2 exits our mouths as we breathe, eliciting a “net warming effect on the atmosphere.”

Perhaps, in due time, there will be a “breathing tax” policy initiative imposed on offending humans.