Atmospheric Methane (global) vs US Resident Patent Applications

Atmospheric Methane (global) and US Resident Patent Applications correlate at r = +0.92 over 38 years (1984–2021), p < 0.0001. With the time trend removed, r = -0.74. Direction flips without the trend.

Verdict: Direction flips without the trend. The raw correlation is 0.92, but once each series' time trend is removed it becomes -0.74. The year-to-year movements run the opposite way to the long-run trends, so the headline number is misleading.

Pearson r: +0.92
p-value: < 0.0001
Years compared (n): 38 (1984–2021)
95% confidence interval: 0.85 to 0.96
Correlation with the time trend removed: -0.74

Sources

Atmospheric Methane (global) (ppb): NOAA GML. Global annual mean atmospheric methane from marine surface sites (NOAA GML).
US Resident Patent Applications (applications): World Bank. US Resident Patent Applications (World Bank indicator IP.PAT.RESD).

Related pairs

US Mobile Subscriptions vs US Resident Patent Applications (r = +0.99)
US Adult Obesity vs US Resident Patent Applications (r = +0.98)
US Resident Patent Applications vs US Population (r = +0.98)
Atmospheric Methane (global) vs US Natural Gas Consumption (r = +0.98)
Atmospheric Methane (global) vs US GDP per Capita (r = +0.98)
Atmospheric CO₂ (Mauna Loa) vs Atmospheric Methane (global) (r = +0.98)

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