Thread by @SLKath

"Earth, water, fire, and wind. Where there is energy there is life.”~ Suzy Kassem @One_Voice_1 is proud to present our #OVElements series. Our goal is to highlight the elements through the lens of climate change, to help advance the reversal of the damage done to our planet.

Cow fart jokes aside, we must take methane seriously. It's about 80x worse than CO2 for global warming.

Methane is like rocket fuel for climate change.

In 2019, atmospheric methane was at its highest level since record-keeping began ('83).

#OVElements
scientificamerican.com/article/methan…

Methane accounts for about ¼ of global warming since the 1850’s.

Wetlands account for 30% of methane emissions, but a study of 2000-2017 emissions found most due to human activities:
- livestock
- coal mining
- landfills
- gas and oil sector
#OVEarth
earthobservatory.nasa.gov/images/146978/…

Research reported last year shows that oil & gas projects are a much more serious problem for climate change than previously thought.

It turns out methane emissions had been seriously underestimated. (What a shock. Not).

#OVElements
nytimes.com/2020/02/19/cli…

Despite what fossil fuel lobbyists say, natural gas does NOT help the US reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

That’s because natural gas is over 90% methane and it leaks from gas infrastructure.

#ONEV1
insideclimatenews.org/news/30012020/…

Natural gas is actually about 95%* methane.

Oh, sorry. You didn’t know that? Well now you do!

*Industry source: uniongas.com/about-us/about…)

Amazing how language (people often favor “natural” products) has influenced views of natural gas.

#OVElements
grist.org/energy/natural…

The US is FAR from the only country to have a methane emissions problem with respect to its natural gas operations.

We’re looking at you, Russia.

(cc @POTUS and @ClimateEnvoy)

#ONEV1
#OVElements
climatechangenews.com/2021/03/04/met…

International Energy Agency analyses have “consistently shown that action to reduce methane emissions is one of the most cost-effective options to reduce global emissions and an essential complement to efforts to bring down emissions of carbon dioxide.” iea.org/commentaries/c…

The Biden-Harris WH is off on the right foot on methane, including undoing damage from the previous administration, but more is better because methane reductions give a big bang for the buck on climate change.
@POTUS @ClimateEnvoy

#ONEV1
#OVElements
sei.org/about-sei/pres…

Of the part of methane emissions that come from agriculture, about 70% comes from chemical reactions as cows & grazing animals digest plants.

One solution: raise less livestock (I see you, vegans!).

Another: add seaweed to the feed. Wait, what?

#ONEV1
theconversation.com/feeding-cows-a…

But even grains like rice have a methane problem: rice is grown in water-laden rice paddies that emit lots of methane.

And methane from rice paddies is increasing as the climate warms.

But don’t stomp away mad – see next tweet for a solution!

#ONEV1
treehugger.com/rice-growing-m…

Rice paddies are mucky places, and that low-oxygen muck is home to methane-making bacteria.

But rice is a staple for half the world, so eliminating rice-eating would be, well, crazy.

Enter our climate change hero: the minnow!

#ONEV1
#OVElements
wired.com/story/tiny-hun…

Please, I’m begging you.

If you care about the Earth, learn more about methane and why it’s a huge and urgent problem for climate change.

This piece in The Conversation is a great summary!

#ONEV1
#OVElements
theconversation.com/climate-explai…