"may be" generating
a new study "suggests"
"If" the ice sheet collapses
the greenhouse gas "could be released" into the atmosphere
There "could be" tons of methane hydrate
Or not. They're just phoning it in now. I don't think think these clowns even believe this crap themselves any more.
Scientists are taught to write like that. It's meant to reflect the fact that scientific research is uncertain, and there is always the possibility that someone else with a different hypothesis or experimental approach can show that the research doesn't show what the first scientist thought it shows.
The time to be extremely wary is when a scientist (or someone claiming to be one) states the results of research as if they are solid, undisputable facts. If they aren't using words like "could be", "we think", "probably", etc., they're quacks who are probably using sciency language to hoodwink you into buying something that you don't need.