EPA data projects that in 2017, Oil & Gas sector methane emissions have topped 200 million tons of CO2-Equivalent. If so, Are we biased towards CO2 emission, while still ignoring methane emission?
Dear Suresh,
There is a lot more talk about carbon dioxide because its emissions are higher than those of methane. Carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane (CH4) are both greenhouse gases. The first remains in the atmosphere a hundred years while the second stays there for only a dozen years. At the scale of the century, methane is still 25 times more powerful than carbon dioxide in global warming potential (GWP)! Its global warming potential (GWP) is then 25, and it increases with time: it is estimated at 62 within 20 years. At equal amounts, methane is therefore more powerful in the greenhouse effect than CO2. But there are not as much methane emissions as carbon dioxide emissions. Carbon dioxide has much more influence on the climate than methane, from the point of view of current emissions. It is estimated that methane, despite its relatively low concentration in the atmosphere, is responsible for 15 to 17% of all warming in the last century. Methane emissions are increasing over time, mainly because of the underground methane reserves in the Arctic called permafrost. Increasing temperatures are accelerating ice melting, and scientists are worried about the consequences of releasing this methane trapped in the Arctic ice. In order to fight against climate change, it is a question of capturing methane emissions from landfills, for example, through methane capture processes or methanation plants that recover it to produce heat or electricity. The capture of methane prevents its release into the atmosphere, and limits its contribution to the greenhouse effect.
Regards
Bachir ACHOUR
The chemical bonds in methane are about 80 times more efficient at absorbing heat than then bonds in carbon dioxide.
Methane can come from many sources, both natural and man made. It is a potent greenhouse gas that damages climate . Carbon dioxide is a long-lived greenhouse gas responsible for global warming i.e.heating of the earth. Only difference is that Methane is not much long lived .i. e. methane doesn't linger as long in the atmosphere as carbon dioxide.
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