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Stanford researchers outline vision for profitable climate change solution
A relatively simple process could help turn the tide of climate change while also turning a healthy profit. That's one of the hopeful visions outlined in a new Stanford-led paper that highlights a seemingly counterintuitive solution: converting one greenhouse gas into another.
The study, published in Nature Sustainability on May 20, describes a potential process for converting the extremely potent greenhouse gas methane into carbon dioxide, which is a much less potent driver of global warming. The idea of intentionally releasing carbon dioxide into the atmosphere may seem surprising, but the authors argue that swapping methane for carbon dioxide is a significant net benefit for the climate.
"If perfected, this technology could return the atmosphere to pre-industrial concentrations of methane and other gases," said lead author Rob Jackson, the Michelle and Kevin Douglas Provostial Professor in Earth System Science in Stanford's School of Earth, Energy & Environmental Sciences.
The basic idea is that some sources of methane emissions -- from rice cultivation or cattle, for example -- may be very difficult or expensive to eliminate. "An alternative is to offset these emissions via methane removal, so there is no net effect on warming the atmosphere," said study coauthor Chris Field, the Perry L. McCarty Director of the Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment.
Methane removal and atmospheric restoration (DOI: 10.1038/s41893-019-0299-x) (DX)
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday May 22 2019, @12:37AM (3 children)
It seems costly to extract ch4 from the air
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday May 22 2019, @12:44AM (1 child)
The economics of scaled CH4 conversion
to CO2 (or CH3OH) still need to be resolved.
A price on carbon emissions or a policy
mandate would be required; current market
prices of $10 to $30 per tonne CO2 (for
example, European Emissions Allowances;
values in US dollars throughout) rise
quickly to $50 to $500 or more per
tonne this century in most integrated-
assessment-model scenarios of 1.5 ºC and
2 ºC stabilization2. Such CO2 prices would
generate potential revenues of ~$1,250 to
$12,500 per tonne CH4 using a 100-year
global warming potential of ~28 for CH4
relative to CO2 (and subtracting for the
2.75 tonnes of CO2 emitted per tonne of
CH4 removed).
(Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday May 22 2019, @01:01AM
Proving yet again the "global warming" is just another way for Democrats to tax the populace.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday May 22 2019, @01:49AM
CO2=More Beer.