(To make comparisons easier, all greenhouse gases are converted into an equivalent amount of carbon dioxide, though this is controversial). When you add carbon dioxide and methane, the total footprint of the world’s human-made reservoirs is 1.08 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide. When oxygen levels are low, the rotting process creates methane as well as carbon dioxide. Methane only lasts for a few years in our atmosphere, but it’s far more potent than carbon dioxide. “But that’s usually true of any mitigation option – you have to consider trade-offs.”However, more research is needed to better understand methane in human-made reservoirs, Goodrich said.

Source: Stuff June 04, 2021 04:29 UTC