Methane's Role In Our Atmosphere
Over the years, countless people have
undoubtedly heard the term “greenhouse gases” and have gathered
from context that they are bad for the environment. Specifically
what they do, as defined by the EPA, is “trap heat in the
atmosphere” [1]. This naturally contributes to increasing average
global temperatures. One of the most prevalent of these gases is
methane. Those with a chemistry background will know that methane is
the simplest and most abundant hydrocarbon in nature. However,
although it occurs naturally, the EPA estimates that more than 60%
of methane production is caused by humans [2]. According to the
Environmental Defense Fund website, although carbon dioxide is the
most prevalent greenhouse gas, methane is “84 times more potent”
in the first 20 years upon being released [3]. They also estimate
that approximately “25% of the manmade global warming we’re
experiencing today is caused by methane emissions.” Of course,
climate change is a very important topic for discussion as its
consequences are, naturally, global in scale. As such, methane is an
issue we should take a closer look at, and throughout this blog and
the website we will be developing, we'll examine various aspects of
the issue, including further negative effects, and potential
solutions to help reduce its presence in our atmosphere.
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