"Why Focus on Methane to Mitigate Climate Change? Background and the Global Methane Assessment "
September 16, 2021
A.R. Ravishankara (On behalf of the authors of the Global Methane Assessment)
Hosted by Emily Fischer
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Abstract
Methane, the simplest hydrocarbon, is a significant focus of current measures to keep the global mean temperature from exceeding 2oC by 2100. Why do we focus on methane, which is after all not the primary greenhouse gas? (It is the second most important greenhouse gas now, next to CO2, but is a crucial short-lived climate pollutant). I will discuss some “methane science.” The talk will include some introductory atmospheric chemistry of methane and its impact on health and climate. Then, I will describe the contents of the recent UNEPCCAC assessment of methane. We can end with a discussion of what you all think about methane and what you can do to reduce its emissions.
