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Levels of methane—the second biggest contributor to climate change after carbon dioxide—have spiked in the atmosphere in the past decade. And a study says fracking in North America could be partly to blame.
The gas is linked to climate change, as well as ground-level ozone levels that can harm agriculture. It can also trigger a range of health problems, including chest pains, as well as reducing lung function and worsening conditions such as bronchitis, emphysema and asthma.
[...] For the new study, Howarth looked at existing research on the levels of certain carbon isotopes of atmospheric methane to find a potential source, and created an equation to investigate the link.
Methane is a compound made up of carbon and hydrogen. While methane released in the late 20th century was enriched with the carbon isotope 13C, Howarth highlights methane released in recent years features lower levels. That's because the methane in shale gas has depleted levels of the isotope when compared with conventional natural gas or fossil fuels such as coal, he explained.
This lead Howarth to conclude: "The commercialization of shale gas and oil in the 21st century has dramatically increased global methane emissions."
[...] This could help the commitment of the Paris Agreement be met.
[...] "If we can stop pouring methane into the atmosphere, it will dissipate. It goes away pretty quickly, compared to carbon dioxide. It's the low-hanging fruit to slow global warming."
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday August 30 2019, @11:13AM (4 children)
Some people really should not base their investments on delusions that artificial scarcity can be kept undisturbed forever.
(Score: 2) by DeathMonkey on Friday August 30 2019, @03:30PM (3 children)
Natural gas is a finite resource, therefore, it's scarcity is all natural!
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday August 30 2019, @04:04PM
Air is also a finite resource, and I guess even you do not like to choke on smog. Whether you want some other people to be choking in the name of preserving someones' profits... err, "to slow global warming" or what the excuse of the day is, depends on your (lack of) empathy to human beings.
(Score: 1) by fustakrakich on Friday August 30 2019, @04:07PM
Finite does not imply scarce.
La politica e i criminali sono la stessa cosa..
(Score: 1) by NickM on Friday August 30 2019, @04:46PM
I a master of typographic, grammatical and miscellaneous errors !