Methane levels in the atmosphere seem to be rising steeply. Since methane is a much more potent “greenhouse gas” than CO2, this could, perhaps, maybe, result in the end of the ice age that we’re currently in… within a few decades. The one good thing is that methane does not have a long lifespan, getting oxidized within a few years. But that’ll only help if the methane release – which seems to be coming from African wetlands – stops. of course, if the climate suddenly gets way hotter, the African wetlands releasing methane via decomposition of dead vegetable matter might turn into desert area, resulting in the eventual end of the methane release. Which means within a dozen or so years of that the methane will have burned out and the climate can descend back into good ol’ ice age status. *Proper* ice age, with glaciers covering continents and land bridges everywhere. This will be aided by the fact that humans will have been largely wiped out at that point. Doubtless industrial civilization will have either moved off-world or simply been exterminated; and with no easy access to oil or coal anymore, anthropogenic CO2 emissions will be minimal.
Yaaaaaay.
5 responses to “Yay, we’re doomed”
Glad you found Anton.
So, this is from an influx of water entering wetlands in South Sudan, fueling plant growth and soil microbial activity, and producing extra methane. This is about a third of the spike in global methane emissions between 2010 and 2016.
The wetlands in question expanded in size due to a surge of water hypothesized to be the result of dam releases upstream on the Nile River and its tributaries. The levels of the East African lakes, which feed down the Nile increased over the period studied coinciding with the increase in methane implying that the methane release is a consequence of the increased flow.
Scientists have debated the cause of the recent increase in methane, which spiked in 2007 and 2014. Some have attributed it to cattle and the expansion in the natural gas industry. Recently attention has focused on the role of trees, especially in tropical wetlands, as a major source of methane.
Takeaways,
The source of two thirds of the measured increase is still unknown.
The amount of carbon sequestered due to the increased growth has not been reported in any source I looked at. It would be instructive to compare the “greenhouse capacity” of the hypothetical increased carbon sequestration vs the observed released methane.
While no one is saying more methane is a good thing, many people are jumping from zero to doomed without passing go or seriously discussing practical mitigation beyond “civilization bad.”
Wouldn’t surprise me if a good chunk of the methane is coming from warming arctic tundra/permafrost. All those bizarre holes getting blasted out the back end of beyond in Siberia, for example. And if the oceans warm up enough (I don’t know if they can, though) there’s all that methane hydrate down there ready to boil off.
And now..zombie deer
https://www.foxnews.com/us/wisconsin-deer-farm-infected-fatal-brain-disease
On the climate front
https://townhall.com/tipsheet/saraharnold/2023/09/09/california-scientist-makes-stunning-admission-about-climate-change-n2628194
Bunker (oil) buster
https://www.cnbc.com/video/2023/09/25/maersk-unveils-worlds-first-vessel-laura-maersk-using-green-methanol.html