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Environment & Energy
In reply to the discussion: Arctic Methane - This Does Not Sound Good... [View all]Bob Wallace
(549 posts)57. Two poor points...
While methane does drop out of the atmosphere faster it is a much stronger greenhouse gas while it's there. And this is (almost certainly) not a one time big burp. It might very well be the early days of even larger amounts of methane coming from places where it hasn't previously. What drops out 10 years from now is likely to be replaced with even more seabed methane.
The amount may pale compared to termites or even cow burps, but it's one more log on the fire that's promising to cook us.
It's one more atmospheric input that we will have to offset if we're going to avoid runaway climate warming.
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I was rendered immediately breathless, and was made to sit and meditate deeply
Ghost Dog
Dec 2011
#43
I didn't do well in chemistry class (bad teacher, I claim) but does this make sense
Ghost Dog
Dec 2011
#47
I'm not sure that's technically feasible, we're talking thousands of square kilometers.
joshcryer
Dec 2011
#55
Luckily, I have no kids! My ancestral carbon footprint shrinks to zero by 2040.
aletier_v
Dec 2011
#53
Right, a little over a long time is nothing, a lot over a little time is an issue.
joshcryer
Dec 2011
#59