The dumbest questions begin with a disclaimer like the one used here. Yes, methane, especially from cows and livestock, is a contributor to global warming. Ot

The dumbest questions begin with a disclaimer like the one used here. Yes, methane, especially from cows and livestock, is a contributor to global warming. Other sources of methane worthy of concern include oil and gas wells (apparently they leak a lot) and other quasi-natural sources like the breakdown of plant matter in forests (often because the forest is cleared). Methane is far more potent than CO2 but also far shorter-lived. I would argue in many ways it's far less of a concern because it doesn't interact with plant and animal life to anywhere near the extent elevated CO2 levels do.