I have always said that methane was a much bigger problem than CO2 and thus to concentrate on CO2 was a mistake. It also means that natural gas is not a “Bridge” to the future, because it is so much more powerful as a green house gas. In fact if you look at the list,
- Water vapor (H. 2O)
- Carbon dioxide (CO. …
- Methane (CH. …
- Nitrous oxide (N. 2O)
- Ozone (O. …
- Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs)
- Hydrofluorocarbons (incl. HCFCs and HFCs)
CO2 is pretty low on the list. I understand that coal is a REAL problem because of its cost and availability, but focusing on it makes it look like if we get rid of coal we are in the clear. No way that is true.
Oil and Gas Fields Leak Far More Methane than EPA Reports, Study Finds
Higher than expected levels of the potent short-lived climate pollutant raise questions about whether natural gas can be an effective bridge to lower emissions.
The amount of methane leaking from the nation’s oil and gas fields may be 60 percent higher than the official estimates of the Environmental Protection Agency, according to a new study in the journal Science.
The study, led by a group of scientists from the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF), presents some of the most compelling evidence to date that switching to gas from dirtier fuels like coal might not be as effective a climate strategy as its proponents suggest unless the gas industry improves how it controls leaks.
“It starts to have a material effect on just how clean a fuel natural gas really is,” said Ramon Alvarez of EDF, one of the authors of the study.
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Go there and read. More next week.
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