Methane Current Events

A massive methane leak in California has been going on since October and is going to take months to stop. It has displaced thousands of residents, schools and is not only causing health problems for the residents, but for their pets as well. Southern California Gas Co. has been coming up with different plans on how to stop their leak; right now a “capture and burn” plan is on the table and will soon be voted on. Since October the leak has sent 62 million cubic feet of methane everyday into the air, which is very bad news for the climate. Methane is about 80 times more warming power than carbon dioxide. Even though naturally methane doesn’t have a smell, facilities like this one add a chemical that produces a rotten egg smell so leaks can be identified. Methane leaks are only viewable with infrared, which is why the smell is added.

References:

https://www.edf.org/climate/aliso-canyon-leak-sheds-light-national-problem

http://www.latimes.com/local/california/la-me-0116-porter-ranch-pets-20160118-story.html 

https://www.rt.com/usa/329367-california-gas-leak-burn/

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