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THREAD: The most important and most under-reported #climatechange story of the year: global methane levels are unexpectedly surging and scientists are ringing the alarm bells, calling on countries to stop methane emissions from fossil-fuel operations. ft.com/content/9a3c05…
NOAA just released data showing that global atmospheric methane leapt up last year, marking the 2nd highest jump in the last 20 years and extending a 12 year surge, a surge that has accelerated by 50% over the past 5 years. 2/n 
Here’s the kicker: global methane levels were stable for much of the 2000s and the models built for the Paris Climate Agreement assumed they would remain stable under BAU – but instead they are rising at rate near historic highs 3/n
While scientists aren’t certain about what’s driving the surge, they are clear the reducing fossil fuel emissions of methane is the only control knob we have.
The fossil fuel sector is the biggest source of methane emissions in the U.S., and emissions from the natgas sector have risen 40% over the last decade. Science backgrounder here: climatenexus.org/climate-change… 5/n
Either we stop the leaks and the venting immediately or we start shutting down production and dramatically accelerate the shift to wind/solar and move to electrify heating immediately. One or the other. (and in the long-run both) 6/6
Answers to many of the questions raised in response to this thread may be found in this new and fully annotated science backgrounder (by yours truly) climatenexus.org/climate-change…
