How best to measure the climate impact of methane
Deciding exactly how powerful methane is as a greenhouse gas relative to carbon dioxide is a complicated business
LATEST SCIENCE
New research published in science journal Nature indicates that estimates of methane emissions from oil and gas production are still being underestimated and should be revised upwards by as much as 40%
MEASURING METHANE
The main metric used to decide the climate impact of a greenhouse gas is known as its global warming potential (GWP) compared to carbon dioxide, but measurements of GWP are being made over different timeframes so can yield apparently conflicting results. Environmental groups want emissions reporting systems to be updated to reflect this
KEY QUOTE
The reality is that climate change is not simple and by oversimplifying to the point of expressing only long-term impacts does a huge disservice to climate action. We could be making climate change worse in the near-term without realising it or we could miss crucial opportunities to slow the rate of warming ...
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