Methane is starting to get attention? With 23 times the greenhouse effect as CO2, methane has long held the interest of researchers. Methane is found e.g. in clathrates, and peatlands. The increase in methane in the atmosphere had been quite steady since 1700, but recently started to climb. One “game over” hypo, the Clathrate Gun, gained popularity a couple decades ago. It fell out of favor, but recently has made a comeback. Even when economists were offering paths to decarbonization that cost less than 2% of GDP, politicians were not interested due to the price. Moreover, many countries had entrenched hydrocarbon industries. Now the price of mitigating and reversing climate disruption is much higher due to delay and a growing global population approaching 8 billion. Besides, we all know what homo improvidus will say with any emerging crisis; “Who could have known!” or “Nobody warned me, or did anything!” or “How is this my fault?”
It’s not so much that they can’t understand the science, though they can’t – after all, the science isn’t all that easy!
The problem is that when they don’t understand something, they simply believe whatever they please about it. Confirmation bias does the rest.
CH4 was considered secondary to CO2 because it oxidizes into CO2 in 8 to 10 years, so it was still a CO2 problem. Now they’re seriously looking at the short-term effects of massive amounts of CH4 out gassing from limestone outcroppings in Siberia and gas wells that were abandoned. That’s the difference. This latest IPCC report has brought more attention to the dangers of CH4.
Good article.
This was jr high school science and for me a long time ago. So much denial; so little time.
And to be specific, that breakdown figure is for methane in the troposphere. The scrubbing process for methane in the stratosphere takes over a century.
I didn’t find it confusing. What other term would you suggest to indicate a QUANTITY of energy? Calorie? BTU. Well?
Nice article. Should be required reading for all humans, especially Americans.
Review for many but hype and hoax to others. People tend to refuse to believe what they don`t want to believe.