Decadal growth rate of methane in the atmosphere varied dramatically over the past 30 yeas with three distinct periods of slowed (1988-1998), quasi-stationary (1999-2006) and renewed (2007-2016) phases. An inverse analysis with atmospheric chemistry transport modeling explained these variations consistently. While emissions from oil and gas exploitation and natural climate events caused the slowed growth and the temporary pause, those from coal mining in China and livestock farming in the tropics drove the renewed growth.