We hear about it all the time, methane gas and the harm it can cause to our health and climate. But, how much do we actually know about this common fossil fuel emission? Our partner's, Interfaith Power and Light uncover 5 things you never knew about this toxic gas, giving us but another reason to support the Clean Energy Plan.
- Methane is responsible for up to 25% of the warming we are currently experiencing.
- Methane traps 80 times as much heat over a 20-year period as carbon dioxide.
- Industry wastes millions of tons of gas through leaks and flaring every year.
- The technology to prevent methane and toxic air pollution is widely and easily available and affordable.
- Addressing methane pollution is an important piece of the Obama administration’s plan to cut global warming pollution by 26-28% by 2025.
To learn more about how the EPA's Clean Energy Plan will protect us from this toxic gas, visit the White House website.
To get involved in progressing the fight for climate action, visit our friends at Interfaith Power and Light, because all people of faith need to care for God's creation. We have a moral imperative to reduce carbon emissions!
Top 5 Reasons Methane Matters
The EPA’s Proposed Methane Pollution Standards for the oil and gas industry are a critical component of the Obama administration’s strategy to cut U.S. greenhouse gas emissions. Here are five things you may not know about methane - and why curbing it matters for the climate.
1) Methane is responsible for up to 25% of the warming we are currently experiencing. Methane (CH4) is the most prevalent greenhouse gas after CO2 and the EPA has inventoried its sources and impact on global warming: http://epa.gov/climatechange/ghgemissions/gases/ch4.html
2) Methane traps 80 times as much heat over a 20-year period as carbon dioxide. While methane’s lifetime in the atmosphere is much shorter than CO2, it is much more efficient at trapping radiation. In order to respond quickly to climate change, cutting methane emissions is critical. http://epa.gov/climatechange/ghgemissions/gases/ch4.html
3) Industry wastes millions of tons of gas through leaks and flaring every year. NRDC, Sierra Club, and other environmental groups published a report earlier this year showing how EPA could cut methane emissions in half by reducing waste at existing oil and gas infrastructure nationwide: http://docs.nrdc.org/energy/ene_14111901.asp
4) The technology to prevent methane and toxic air pollution is widely and easily available and affordable. The Environmental Defense Fund conducted a 16-part study on methane leakage and identified many cost-effective tools to plug the leaks that are available now. https://www.edf.org/climate/methane-studies
5) Addressing methane pollution is an important piece of the Obama administration’s plan to cut global warming pollution by 26-28% by 2025. This pledge was made to the U.N. in advance of the international climate conference in Paris at the end of 2015.https://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2015/03/31/fact-sheet-us-reports-its-2025-emissions-target-unfccc
