Comments on: Why we should focus on methane; not carbon dioxide

By: kitramsey

kitramsey — Fri, 27 May 2011 17:24:27 +0000

Water vapor constitutes Earth’s most significant greenhouse gas, accounting for about 95% of Earth’s greenhouse effect. Interestingly, many “facts and figures’ regarding global warming completely ignore the powerful effects of water vapor in the greenhouse system, carelessly (perhaps, deliberately) overstating human impacts as much as 20-fold.

By: godfrey2001

godfrey2001 — Wed, 25 May 2011 01:32:28 +0000

Water vapor the largest greenhouse gas in the atmosphere by percentage, but its impact is virtually ignored because it does not fit with the agenda.

By: Camper

Camper — Mon, 23 May 2011 16:09:11 +0000

Regarding Mike McLennan’s comment above: Methane LEAKAGE is indeed a byproduct of natural gas drilling. Read Howarth’s paper and others.

By: Camper

Camper — Mon, 23 May 2011 16:07:03 +0000

This article reflects a growing realization among climatologists, especially among paleoclimatologists, that methane has always been the primary driver of greenhouse warmings, and CO2 is usually no more than the trigger.

It’s not merely methane from cattle and gas wells that should most concern us, however; it’s the vast stores of methane in seafloor clathrates, and the vast amount of methane-producing organic matter frozen in tundra. The long-discussed “clathrate gun hypothesis” is being confirmed at every turn, which should give us all pause.

Get used to hearing a lot more about methane. This is a subject we’ll all come to know very well.

By: Dollared

Dollared — Fri, 20 May 2011 21:10:48 +0000

Mr. Easterbrook completely, completely misrepresents Dr. Hansen’s paper. Dr. Hansen states quite clearly that the first and highest priority of anyone desiring to slow the rate of global warming is to eliminate coal mining and burning. Period. Period.

He never, ever says that methane is a higher priority or would accomplish more.

Mr. Easterbrook is a liar.

By: MikeMcLennan

MikeMcLennan — Fri, 20 May 2011 14:50:10 +0000

Natural Gas IS 80-100% methane. This makes a lot of your article nonsensical e.g. “Methane, a byproduct of natural gas drilling”. Methane is the product of the drilling.

“Methane is often found in natural gas formations” also true but rather obvious in light of the above.

By: JDoddsGW

JDoddsGW — Thu, 19 May 2011 19:49:06 +0000

Methane as a greenhouse effect warming problem DOES NOT EXIST.
Methane underground already undergoes greenhouse warming from the sea of IR heat radiation that is already underground In other words the methane greenhouse effect is already contributing to the Earths core temperature. Whether the methane is underground or above ground in the air makes no difference.
In order to make it a problem you have to create more methane not just discover that it exists.
This is just more ridiculous non-science put out to justify the global warming FRAUD.

By: joel.schopp

joel.schopp — Thu, 19 May 2011 19:15:11 +0000

Methane breaks down over the long term through oxidation in a process that releases energy. So methane released into the atmosphere is a short term issue, outside of the C02 produced when it breaks down.

CO2 on the other hand requires energy to become Oxygen and a carbon chain. The most common process to get rid of C02 is photosynthesis, which is why you get Carbon offsets for planting trees. Otherwise it is very stable and stays around literally forever.

I’d also argue with methane regulation having no impact on the economy. Cows emit methane and capping their emissions is not a trivial matter like it is with methane from natural gas wells.

By: Writer23

Writer23 — Thu, 19 May 2011 18:15:19 +0000

I hope you’ve also had a chance to review the analysis done by ProPublica in January, the first, I believe, to break news about Robert Howarth and about the possibility that gas may be as dirty as coal. http://www.propublica.org/article/natura l-gas-and-coal-pollution-gap-in-doubt