Why might Methane be considered a more important greenhouse gas then Carbon Dioxide?

Methane has approximately 30 times the heat-trapping potential of carbon dioxide. However, it has a much shorter atmospheric lifetime—about ten years—than carbon dioxide, which has a lifespan of about 100 years.

This indicates that, albeit temporarily, methane has a larger greenhouse effect than carbon dioxide.

The problem is that the geo-biological cycle of methane is being disrupted by global warming. Microbial activity in freshwater marshlands is the primary source of methane, and it is enhanced by a warmer climate.

Recent research (published in the scholarly journal Nature) demonstrates a discernible rise in methane emissions from wetlands and a robust relationship between the amount of these emissions and temperature.

An additional source of methane is the increasing melting of permafrost, a layer of ice beneath the soil surface in sub-polar regions brought on by rising temperatures.

Methane's overall contribution to global warming is growing, and it's feasible that in the near future it will overtake carbon dioxide as the most significant greenhouse gas.

Methane is considered more important than carbon dioxide as a greenhouse gas because it has a higher global warming potential, meaning it has a greater ability to trap heat in the atmosphere per unit of mass over a specific time period. Additionally, methane has a shorter atmospheric lifetime compared to carbon dioxide, but it is more effective at trapping heat during that time.