{"id":338388,"date":"2024-08-03T10:12:37","date_gmt":"2024-08-03T08:12:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=338388"},"modified":"2024-08-03T10:12:39","modified_gmt":"2024-08-03T08:12:39","slug":"claim-methane-is-producing-unnatural-climate-disasters","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=338388","title":{"rendered":"Claim: Methane is producing \u201cUnnatural\u201d Climate Disasters"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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From Watts Up With That?<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Essay by\u00a0<\/strong> Eric Worrall<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Apparently failure to control methane emissions is a path to climate influences which some consider to be unnatural.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Methane is turbocharging unnatural disasters \u2013 Australia must get serious about reducing emissions<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Published: July 31, 2024 6.24am AEST
Lesley Hughes<\/a>
Professor Emerita, Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

Methane (CH\u2084) is the second most significant climate pollutant after carbon dioxide (CO\u2082). In the words<\/a> of one of the architects of the pledge, then US Special Presidential Envoy for Climate, John Kerry, \u201ctackling methane is the fastest, most effective way to reduce near-term warming and keep 1.5\u00b0C within reach\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Australia signed up<\/a> 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Climate Council\u2019s report<\/a>, released today, sets out actions Australia can take right now to cut methane emissions. We need to get on with it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2026Read more: https:\/\/theconversation.com\/methane-is-turbocharging-unnatural-disasters-australia-must-get-serious-about-reducing-emissions-234480<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

The climate council report introduction;<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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DANGEROUSLY OVERLOOKED: WHY WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT METHANE<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Most people understand that carbon dioxide is the number one culprit when it comes to climate change. But there\u2019s another harmful gas permeating our atmosphere and warming up our planet: methane.<\/strong> It\u2019s the second most dangerous climate pollutant and it\u2019s fuelling the unnatural disasters we\u2019re experiencing now and into the next few decades.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There is growing recognition around the world that methane pollution is a huge contributor to warming the climate, especially in the near term. <\/strong>That\u2019s because methane is highly effective at trapping heat. <\/strong>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. <\/strong>And even when methane does break down, it adds to the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. That\u2019s why slashing methane pollution now is critical to limiting the build up of harmful greenhouse gases that are fuelling global warming.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2026<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

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