Methane

 When it comes to climate change, people mainly talk about CO2 and often forget about the much more harmful methane. 

The methane content of the atmosphere is rising dramatically.

Since 2007, methane levels in the atmosphere have been rising sharply, and have even doubled again between 2014 and 2019.

This is probably due to rising emissions and less biodegradation, due to an overtaxing of biodegradation resources.

Methane is formed by the decomposition of organic material under exclusion of air.

Sources

Its sources include waste landfills, wetlands such as swamps or rice fields, agriculture and livestock farming, fossil fuel extraction and fracking.

In addition, climate change has set in motion a process that leads to the thawing of permafrost soils, which in turn releases large quantities of methane.

Melting poles and rising sea temperatures also lead to changes in the living conditions of many microorganisms that have been a natural barrier to methane.

A veritable chain reaction develops.

The main cause must be blamed on humanity.

Without ifs and buts!

Methane is much more harmful to the climate than the much discussed CO2.

Over a period of 100 years, the same amount of methane causes 28 times as much damage.

It remains in the atmosphere for 8 - 10 years and is broken down by OH radicals to water and then CO2.

The amount of OH radicals decreases in relation to the methane because the oxidation reactions increase strongly due to the high methane concentration and the OH radicals are consumed as a natural resource.

In addition, the oxidation reaction produces water vapor in the stratosphere, thereby increasing the greenhouse effect many times over.

The climate debate must take methane into account and take this major threat seriously.

2012