Methane is producing “Unnatural” Climate Disasters – Watts Up With That?

Essay by Eric Worrall

Apparently failure to control methane emissions is a path to climate influences which some consider to be unnatural.

Methane is turbocharging unnatural disasters – Australia must get serious about reducing emissions

Published: July 31, 2024 6.24am AEST
Lesley Hughes
Professor Emerita, Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University

One of the most significant achievements of the 26th United Nations climate conference in Glasgow (COP26) three years ago was the launch of the Global Methane Pledge. The goal is to reduce global methane emissions at least 30% by 2030. 

Methane (CH₄) is the second most significant climate pollutant after carbon dioxide (CO₂). In the words of one of the architects of the pledge, then US Special Presidential Envoy for Climate, John Kerry, “tackling methane is the fastest, most effective way to reduce near-term warming and keep 1.5°C within reach”.

Australia signed up to the methane pledge in October 2022. It was a good start, but a promise is not a plan. To date, Australia has no official methane reduction targets, nor an agreed strategy to deal with this dangerous pollutant.

The Climate Council’s report, released today, sets out actions Australia can take right now to cut methane emissions. We need to get on with it.

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Read more: https://theconversation.com/methane-is-turbocharging-unnatural-disasters-australia-must-get-serious-about-reducing-emissions-234480

The climate council report introduction;

DANGEROUSLY OVERLOOKED: WHY WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT METHANE

Most people understand that carbon dioxide is the number one culprit when it comes to climate change. But there’s another harmful gas permeating our atmosphere and warming up our planet: methane. It’s the second most dangerous climate pollutant and it’s fuelling the unnatural disasters we’re experiencing now and into the next few decades.

There is growing recognition around the world that methane pollution is a huge contributor to warming the climate, especially in the near term. That’s because methane is highly effective at trapping heat. It breaks down in the atmosphere much more quickly than carbon dioxide, hanging around for only about a decade. But over a 20-year period it causes around 85 times the climate damage of carbon dioxide. And even when methane does break down, it adds to the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. That’s why slashing methane pollution now is critical to limiting the build up of harmful greenhouse gases that are fuelling global warming.

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Read more: https://www.climatecouncil.org.au/resources/dangerously-overlooked-why-we-need-to-talk-about-methane/

The full report is available here.

Sadly the video and report don’t appear to have anything new to offer. They want something to be done about cows (forcing farmers to feed them seaweed?), food waste and the fossil fuel industry. Organic waste bins. Food supplements for cows. And a halt to approving new coal, oil and gas.

Pretty much what they have been whining about all along.

I’m not sure how the seaweed supplements are supposed to get to the farmers without a lot of fossil fuel powered transport, and all that extra complex processing of waste would require lots of infrastructure and energy, but joined up thinking has never been a prominent quality displayed by climate fanatics.