Fracking may be doing more climate damage than we thought

[applegrove]

Fracking may be doing more climate damage than we thought

The mysterious recent spike in methane emissions? It just might be US fracking.

By David Roberts at Vox

https://www.vox.com/energy-and-environment/2019/8/15/20805136/climate-change-fracking-methane-emissions

"SNIP.....

Methane doesn’t stay in the atmosphere as long as CO2 and is reabsorbed into terrestrial cycles via chemical reactions within 12 years or so. But while it’s up there, it’s much more potent, trapping heat at roughly 84 times the rate of CO2. Scientists estimate that around 25 percent of current global warming traces to methane.

When it comes to reducing CO2 emissions, the chain between cause and effect is frustratingly long and diffuse. Reduced emissions today won’t show up as reduced climate impacts for decades.

But with methane, the chain of causation is much shorter and simpler. Reduced emissions have an almost immediate climate impact. It’s a short-term climate lever, and if the countries of the world are going to hold rising temperatures to the United Nations’ target of “well below” 2 degrees Celsius above the preindustrial baseline, they’re going to need all the short-term climate levers they can get.

In the real world, though, the news about methane is bad and getting worse. It turns out that a mysterious recent spike in global methane levels that’s putting climate targets at risk may be coming from US oil and gas fracking. If that’s true, it’s bad news, because there’s lots more shale gas development in the pipeline and the Trump administration is busy rolling back regulations on the industry.



.....SNIP"

[walkingman]

1. Proof that most humans and 100% of corporations will do anything for $$$.

[abqtommy]

2. This just shows that we need some smarter people working on weather and climate

predictions. With fracking known to clearly cause air and water pollution, who would've thought about methane emissions specifically? (sarcasm off)

[applegrove]

3. Smarter people are available they just get cut or silenced when republicans

or conservatives (in canada) get power.

[abqtommy]

8. I agree. I guess my unspoken extrapolation

is that we need smarter people all through the process: a smarter electorate to elect smarter leaders who then appoint smarter people who more effectively develop smarter information and policies and communicate that with the smarter electorate.

But then I've heard that nobody who's smart gets into politics so it may just be another wish for a flying pony... By the way, I have a son who lives in Canada and I read the CBC news every day and it seems to me that the liberals in Canada have the same problems as the right wing. Not that it's an unusual situation for any country... There's definitely a "smart" shortage worldwide!

[applegrove]

9. Yes we need more experts and smart people. The retail politicians have a role but should

not be making the decisions. Scientists and experts in their fields should. Trudeau is having a bad week but for the most part he listens to the smart people still even if he is not brilliant with details. And the liberals encourage us to be smart. CBC news is something the right wing in canada say they want to get rid of. I will never forget working for a newly immigrated pakistani man. He was not well educated but he was all about cbc radio and i was so happy for him and us. But don't assume Mitch McConnel is not smart. And the like. They know exactly what they are doing.

[abqtommy]

10. The thing I appeciate most about the CBC is the frequent

criticism of government and exposing of wrongdoing at all its levels. I have always enjoyed being in Canada and hope that doesn't change. I think Moscow Mafia Mitch is very smart at being corrupt and accumulating wealth but only in the short term. In the long run he's going down with his buddy tRUMP.

[Maru Kitteh]

4. The massive increase in intensive factory animal farming over the last decades

has done it's part too.

Worried about the environment? Eat local, ethically sourced meat and eat less of it.

[zipplewrath]

5. Too many people

The truth is that the world has too many people. They demand too much energy, too much food, too much meat, too much of everything that the world can produce.

But I don't see any path to reversing that.

[Hermit-The-Prog]

6. the greedy and the stupid are trying to fix that

Seems the coalition between the greedy and the stupid, a.k.a. Republicans, are doing their best to speed up the time when the planet is not habitable by humans.

[zipplewrath]

7. Goes far beyond this country

India may be the largest single problem. But all the "developing" nations are working towards larger, more rapid, population growth. The truth is the only real "wealth" creation is the creation of more humans. Humans create "demand" which fuels "growth" which is the holy grail of capitalism. Most wealth creation is really just wealth transfer. The computer replaces typewriter manufacturing. Stools replace logs. Cars replace carriages. The real thing that causes growth is people, more of them. It's why immigration is a net positive for this country and always has been. It's why Texas never really cared about illegal immigration, because it fueled their economic growth and since they were a sales tax base economy, (as opposed to an income tax which doesn't access the underground economy) and immigrants were a net positive to tax revenues.