RE: Climate Change: Why all the attention on carbon dioxide?

[agmoore]

Great article on carbon dioxide. I was thinking also, as I read, about methane, which some scientists believe in the short term has an even greater effect. Both gases have natural and man-made sources.

A nice read, as usual, @gentleshaid

Comments

[gentleshaid]

Yea, both methane and CO2 have natural and man-made emission sources. However, the emission rate of methane is significantly lower than that of CO2. Also, the chief warmer among them all is water vapor but we've got no control over that.

Thanks for taking the time out to read my piece.

[agmoore]

Always a pleasure, @gentleshaid. Thanks for your response.

As a major producer of natural gas, the U. S. is responsible for releasing a lot of methane into the atmosphere. Many people don't pay attention because it's not carbon dioxide.

[noble-noah]

as I read, about methane, which some scientists believe in the short term has an even greater effect. Both gases have natural and man-made sources

Gasses such as methane and nitrous oxide also have harmful effect but not as carbon dioxide where major effect is from the manufacturing, burning of fossil fuels and transportation e.t.c

[agmoore]

Because I live in the U. S. (largest producer of natural gas in the world), I am acutely aware of methane issues. Methane is implicated in a really big way in global warming. I'm no expert (I'm not even a scientist) but I do read about the environmental impact of methane release and often come across passages such as this from The Union of Concerned Scientists

Whether natural gas has lower life cycle greenhouse gas emissions than coal and oil depends on the assumed leakage rate, the global warming potential of methane over different time frames, the energy conversion efficiency, and other factors [5]. One recent study found that methane losses must be kept below 3.2 percent for natural gas power plants to have lower life cycle emissions than new coal plants over short time frames of 20 years or fewer [6]. And if burning natural gas in vehicles is to deliver even marginal benefits, methane losses must be kept below 1 percent and 1.6 percent compared with diesel fuel and gasoline, respectively. Technologies are available to reduce much of the leaking methane, but deploying such technology would require new policies and investments [7].

I don't think it's a contest between methane and carbon dioxide. Excess emission of either is environmentally noxious.

Thanks for your feedback.

[noble-noah]

I don't think it's a contest between methane and carbon dioxide. Excess emission of either is environmentally noxious.

Exactly! I agreed with your conclusion @agmoore and thanks to you too for providing more resources on the said topic.