Scientists say climate negotiators have misjudged the effects of rising methane emissions and warn the potent greenhouse gas could imperil hopes of meeting mid-century climate targets. The key, they say, is to focus on cutting those emissions and their big short-term impact.
Like boxers whose punching power declines over their careers, greenhouse gasses lose their warming impact at different rates. So, to compare gasses’ climate changing potential to the most common greenhouse gas – carbon dioxide – international negotiators often use a metric that measures their influence on global warming over a 100-year timeframe. A Stanford University study
Like boxers whose punching power declines over their careers, greenhouse gasses lose their warming impact at different rates. So, to compare gasses' climate changing potential to the most common greenhouse gas – carbon dioxide – international negotiators often use a metric that measures their influence on global warming over a 100-year timeframe.