Atmospheric Methane (global) vs US Adult Obesity

Atmospheric Methane (global) and US Adult Obesity correlate at r = +0.94 over 41 years (1984–2024), p < 0.0001. With the time trend removed, r = -0.67. Direction flips without the trend.

Verdict: Direction flips without the trend. The raw correlation is 0.94, but once each series' time trend is removed it becomes -0.67. The year-to-year movements run the opposite way to the long-run trends, so the headline number is misleading.

Pearson r: +0.94
p-value: < 0.0001
Years compared (n): 41 (1984–2024)
95% confidence interval: 0.89 to 0.97
Correlation with the time trend removed: -0.67

Sources

Atmospheric Methane (global) (ppb): NOAA GML. Global annual mean atmospheric methane from marine surface sites (NOAA GML).
US Adult Obesity (% of adults): Our World in Data. US Adult Obesity (Our World in Data: Obesity among adults, BMI >= 30 kg/m2 (crude estimate) (%) - Sex: both sexes - Age group: 18+ years of age).

Related pairs

US Adult Obesity vs US Population (r = +1.00)
US Median Age vs US Adult Obesity (r = +0.99)
US Marriage Rate vs US Adult Obesity (r = -0.98)
US Adult Obesity vs US Resident Patent Applications (r = +0.98)
US Adult Obesity vs US Mobile Subscriptions (r = +0.98)
Atmospheric Methane (global) vs US Natural Gas Consumption (r = +0.98)

Correlation does not imply causation. How the verdict is worked out.