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Sharp rise in methane levels threatens world climate targets
The Guardian ^ | February 17, 2019 | by Robin McKie

Posted on 02/18/2019 11:48:58 AM PST by Oldeconomybuyer

Dramatic rises in atmospheric methane are threatening to derail plans to hold global temperature rises to 2C, scientists have warned.

In a paper published by the American Geophysical Union, researchers say sharp rises in levels of methane - which is a powerful greenhouse gas - have strengthened over the past four years. Urgent action is now required to halt further increases in methane in the atmosphere, to avoid triggering enhanced global warming and temperature rises well beyond 2C.

“What we are now witnessing is extremely worrying,” said one of the paper’s lead authors, Professor Euan Nisbet of Royal Holloway, University of London.

Methane is produced by cattle, and also comes from decaying vegetation, fires, coal mines and natural gas plants. It is many times more potent as a cause of atmospheric warming than carbon dioxide (CO2).

Some researchers believe the spread of intense farming in Africa may be involved, in particular in tropical regions where conditions are becoming warmer and wetter because of climate change. Rising numbers of cattle - as well as wetter and warmer swamps - are producing more and more methane, it is argued.

“We have only just started analysing our data but have already found evidence that a great plume of methane now rises above the wetland swamps of Lake Bangweul in Zambia,” added Nisbet.

Scientists warn that there could be a more sinister factor at work. Natural chemicals in the atmosphere - which help to break down methane - may be changing because of temperature rises, causing it to lose its ability to deal with the gas.

Our world could therefore be losing its power to cleanse pollutants because it is heating up, a climate feedback in which warming allows more greenhouse gases to linger in the atmosphere and so trigger even more warming.

(Excerpt) Read more at theguardian.com ...


TOPICS: Constitution/Conservatism; Culture/Society; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: algore; algorefart; cowfarts; globalwarming; hoax; mockingbird; propaganda; socialism
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To: dfwgator

41 posted on 02/18/2019 12:21:13 PM PST by central_va (I won't be reconstructed and I do not give a damn)
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To: Dilbert San Diego

Cows burp methane. They don’t fart methane. Experts are studying the wrong end of the cow.


42 posted on 02/18/2019 12:21:24 PM PST by abclily
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To: Oldeconomybuyer

OK!! Everybody pay attention!
Lesson for today:
1. The sun is 1,300,000 times as big as the earth.
2. The sun is a giant nuclear furnace that controls the climates of all its planets.
3. The earth is one of the sun’s planets.
4. The earth is a speck in comparison to the size of the sun.
5. Inhabitants of the earth are less than specks.
Study Question: How do less-than-specks in congress plan to control the sun?


43 posted on 02/18/2019 12:22:44 PM PST by abclily
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To: LOC1
When full, the interested consumer can present his fart capture device to Al Gore’s recycling center, where for a fee of $0.10 per fart, the captured farts will be recycled into the US natural gas distribution system.

What is the charge for 'wet farts' and what would they do to the system?

44 posted on 02/18/2019 12:26:01 PM PST by USS Alaska (Nuke all mooselimb terrorists, today.)
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To: USS Alaska

What about sharts?


45 posted on 02/18/2019 12:26:41 PM PST by central_va (I won't be reconstructed and I do not give a damn)
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To: Red Badger

“Light a match.
Problem solved.....................”

Better wax first or it will smell like somebody is cooking cuy.


46 posted on 02/18/2019 12:27:16 PM PST by wildcard_redneck
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To: Oldeconomybuyer
Methane is produced by cattle, and also comes from decaying vegetation, fires, coal mines and natural gas plants.

The "experts" NEVER bring up Mexican food and politicians. They always want to blame the cows.

47 posted on 02/18/2019 12:28:59 PM PST by FlingWingFlyer (#NotARussianBot)
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To: wildcard_redneck

Mars atmosphere is Carbon dioxide: 95.32 percent

And it’s cold as heck......................


48 posted on 02/18/2019 12:31:25 PM PST by Red Badger (We are headed for a Civil War. It won't be nice like the last one....................)
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To: Red Badger
And it’s cold as heck......................

It ain't the kind of place to raise your kids.

49 posted on 02/18/2019 12:32:35 PM PST by dfwgator (Endut! Hoch Hech!)
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To: central_va; dfwgator

50 posted on 02/18/2019 12:33:09 PM PST by ETL (Obama-Hillary, REAL Russia collusion! Uranium-One Deal, Missile Defense, Iran Deal, Nukes: Click ETL)
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To: Oldeconomybuyer

“Methane is produced by cattle” (and, directly or indirectly, most every other living thing).


51 posted on 02/18/2019 12:35:40 PM PST by rightwingcrazy (,)
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To: C210N

Why do I want the cow to suddenly STOP?
LOL, me bad


52 posted on 02/18/2019 12:36:38 PM PST by Zathras
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To: USS Alaska

“Wet Farts” would, of course, completely disable the fart capture device (it was a government subsidized design after all). The consumer would be required to purchase another fart capture device for $4,500 and also pay to have the original device recycled in a hazardous waste facility for an estimated $10,000.


53 posted on 02/18/2019 12:38:52 PM PST by LOC1 (Its the Economy, Stupid !)
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To: Oldeconomybuyer

54 posted on 02/18/2019 12:40:20 PM PST by agatheringstorm
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To: dfwgator

And there’s no one there to raise them, if you did..................


55 posted on 02/18/2019 12:40:55 PM PST by Red Badger (We are headed for a Civil War. It won't be nice like the last one....................)
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To: dfwgator

56 posted on 02/18/2019 12:43:21 PM PST by Jeff Chandler (Every time a lefty cries "racism", a Trump voter gets his wings.)
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To: Oldeconomybuyer

“Researchers say they have found more than 500 bubbling methane vents on the seafloor off the US east coast.”

https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-28898223


57 posted on 02/18/2019 12:44:38 PM PST by antidemoncrat
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To: Oldeconomybuyer

I am going to enjoy these last 12 years on earth.;)


58 posted on 02/18/2019 12:45:19 PM PST by Leep (It's.. (W)all or nothing..!)
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To: Oldeconomybuyer

Kill all the cows. Climate change problem solved.

The climate change crowd belong in the asylum for heaping nonsense upon the rest of us.


59 posted on 02/18/2019 12:47:02 PM PST by goldstategop (In Memory Of A Dearly Beloved Friend Who Lives In My Heart Forever)
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To: abclily

I agree entirely that anthropogenic global warming is NOT settled science, and that it is manipulated for a political agenda. That said, your comments about the sun are not 100% accurate.

Mercury is the closest planet to the sun (average of ~36 million miles as compared to Venus at 67.2 million miles, and then Earth at ~93 million miles). That said, though Mercury’s daytime temperature can rise to >800 Fahrenheit during the day, it also drops to -279 Fahrenheit at night. This gives Mercury an average temperature of ~332 Fahrenheit - less than half of the average temperature of Venus (~864 Fahrenheit). This, despite Venus being almost twice as far from the sun. Why? Because Venus has a thick atmosphere, and Mercury doesn’t.


60 posted on 02/18/2019 12:49:42 PM PST by neverevergiveup
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