We know a lot about the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide. However, we probably have no idea about methane, which is stronger than that. Methane is characterized by its special three-dimensional configuration, consisting of a central carbon atom and four hydrogen atoms on its four sides. In 20 years, methane gas is capable of acting as a greenhouse gas 90 times more powerful than carbon dioxide. There is now about 150 times more methane in the air than at the beginning of the industrial revolution.
As methane is able to retain more heat than carbon dioxide, the higher the amount of methane in the air, the greater the global warming. Since 2010, nearly 500 coal-fired power plants have closed in the United States. The main component of natural gas is methane. Which burns more efficiently than coal as a fuel. Methane is much less likely to be present in the air than carbon dioxide. While methane only stays in the air for nine years, carbon dioxide can last for centuries. These are the main reasons behind the shift from coal to natural gas around the world. So why is methane so spectacular! Natural gas production is responsible for the oil and gas industry.
Leakage rate is a familiar term That is, the exact amount of methane released into the environment during production and use. The leakage rate must be below 1 percent to keep the whole thing intact. But recent studies suggest that the emission rate in the United States may be more than 2 percent, which is undeniably alarming. Volcanic lava was previously thought to be the source of 10 percent of the total global methane emissions each year. Warm muddy soil. However, a research paper recently published in the science journal Nature says otherwise. Basically, scientists' idea about methane was quite wrong. Important issues concerning the harmful effects or sources of methane have always been related to geological phenomena. But according to the Nature study, the main source of methane emissions is the entire industry involved in the production and extraction of fossil fuels. According to data from this study, the harmful effects of methane have been underestimated by about 40 percent due to a focus on the wrong sources.
According to Benjamin, this research has both good and bad sides. Bad in the sense that much more methane is being emitted today than in the pre-industrial era. But for a long time, we were having a misconception about the main source of this methane emission. Again there is a very positive side to the discovery of exactly this cause. A very simple matter is volcanic lava or hot clay. None are under our control.
That is, it is almost impossible to bring the historical sources under their control However, strict control of man-made sources is possible Methane is more harmful than carbon dioxide due to its excellent ability to retain heat Methane gas released into the atmosphere is responsible for 25 percent of man-made global warming.
The more attention is paid to the methane produced by our activities, the more policymakers will be compelled to enforce laws on it. Scientists have warned about this. If the growth rate of methane gas in the atmosphere cannot be strictly controlled, all efforts to prevent climate change will be undermined.
