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Thread: There's a list of world-changing concepts that we couldn't imagine before advancements & discoveries through science & tech. What if we told you a new look at methane could also change the world? 1/
First, let's get a couple things out of the way. Yes, methane (CH4) is a potent greenhouse gas (GHG) that's 28x more potent than carbon dioxide (CO2). And yes, it contributes to climate change. But here's the key: biogenic methane is part of a cycle & that changes everything. 2/
Here's why: Methane from fossil fuels is pulled from deep in the earth. Meaning, it wasn't in the atmosphere prior. The carbon in biogenic methane (from ruminants such as cattle or wetlands) comes FROM our atmosphere. Meaning, it was already there. 3/
But how? Biogenic methane is part of the biogenic carbon cycle. Let's go back to elementary school days (remember those?) The cycle starts with plants, more specifically: photosynthesis. Plants need water, sunlight & CO2. 4/ https://clear.ucdavis.edu/explainers/biogenic-carbon-cycle-and-cattle
The sun gives plants energy to produce carbohydrates such as cellulose, which humans can't eat. But cattle can. Remember, the plant still has that carbon stored, which after eating, cattle later emit as methane during their digestive process. 5/
So, the carbon consumed by cattle through the plant is back in the atmosphere as methane (CH4= 1 carbon molecule and 4 hydrogen molecules). 6/
Here's where it gets interesting. Methane stays in the atmosphere for about 12 years. In the world of GHGs, that's a short lifespan. This is dramatically different than the thousands of years CO2 stays in the atmosphere, warming the planet the entire time. 7/
Why such a short lifespan? After 12 years, 80-89% of the methane is removed from the atmosphere through a process called hydroxyl oxidation. In short, it's eventually converted BACK to CO2 through this process. Do you remember where that CO2 came from to begin with? 8/
The atmosphere. Before it was absorbed into plants. This isn't new carbon. It's RECYCLED carbon! What this means is biogenic methane (from cattle) isn't adding more methane to the atmosphere, so as long as herds stay constant. It's just recycling the carbon over and over. 9/
Here's a fun fact: If we reduce cattle herds, we can actually induce COOLING. Yes, cattle can cool the planet. How? Because if we find ways to reduce methane from cattle through tech and science, cattle will emit less methane than what is being destroyed in the atmosphere. 10/
In contrast, fossil fuel methane not only adds to the stock already in the atmosphere, but can't be absorbed back where it came from (under earth) at the rate it's being emitted – which is... really fast. 11/ https://clear.ucdavis.edu/news/greenhouse-gas-emissions-what-difference-between-stock-and-flow-gases
Why does this matter? Because currently, there is a missed opportunity to use animal agriculture for climate change mitigation – a missed opportunity to help change the world. Here's a full explainer on this thread: https://clear.ucdavis.edu/explainers/why-methane-cattle-warms-climate-differently-co2-fossil-fuels 12/12
