4 ms·
This is not true! Methane is not only 84x more warming than CO2, it is at a record high at <1900ppb and rising, the current level is higher than the RCP 4.5 war
by TSiege 3y ago
This is not true! Methane is not only 84x more warming than CO2, it is at a record high at <1900ppb and rising, the current level is higher than the RCP 4.5 warming scenario by the IPCC (which is in the middle level of a warming scenario), and there is evidence that the atmospheric lifespan might be increasing
- cogman10 3y agoThis is what my quick google turned up [1]. > A molecule of methane traps more heat than a molecule of CO2, but methane has a relatively short lifespan of 7 to 12 years in the atmosphere, while CO2 can persist for hundreds of years or more. Doesn't mean it's correct though so I'd be happy to see different thinking on this. That being said, IIRC, isn't one of the models for the increasing methane the melting permafrost [2]? So the levels are somewhat expected to be increasing pretty rapidly as a result of global warming in general. [1] https://climate.nasa.gov/vital-signs/methane/ https://climate.nasa.gov/vital-signs/methane/ [2] https://earth.org/data_visualization/what-is-permafrost/ https://earth.org/data_visualization/what-is-permafrost/
- sp332 3y agohttps://climate.mit.edu/ask-mit/why-do-we-compare-methane-carbon-dioxide-over-100-year-timeframe-are-we-underrating https://climate.mit.edu/ask-mit/why-do-we-compare-methane-ca... "Over 20 years, the methane would trap about 80 times as much heat as the CO2. Over 100 years, that original ton of methane would trap about 28 times as much heat as the ton of CO2." So converting a bunch of atmospheric CO2 to methane evey year is not good.
- cogman10 3y agoWell, shoot, that's awful.