Global warming

I am still in shock. Is this for real?

Isotopic analysis points to natural or human-caused microbial sources as the source of between 364 million to 419 million tons of methane per year, or 58 to 67 percent of methane released to the atmosphere each year.







http://www.noaa.gov/media-release/study-finds-fossil-fuel-methane-emissions-greater-than-previously-estimated

http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v538/n7623/full/nature19797.html

Why not? Natural processes release lots of greenhouse gasses, always have. If they didn't earth would be a frozen ice block. Now if we add to that amount we can cause trouble.

Jd Gonzalez wrote:I am still in shock. Is this for real?

Probably, but what is left of that chart is the amount of methane captured as a result of the microbial activity. For example, cows produce a lot of methane, but their poop feeds grass which then absorbs the methane.

John Wolfram wrote:their poop feeds grass which then absorbs the methane.

Except when they're in feedlots.

Yep it is likely pretty accurate.

Termites for example produce more methane than cows. However when looking at microbial emissions or termites, these are natural processes that have been going on for ages. There are natural counter balances to these that off set the emissions.

As John mentioned there is a cycle of emissions and sinks. Where things get bad is when we produce emissions without having a sink, or worse after destroying large amounts of sinks like in the deforestation prior to industrial age. In this sort of issue we destroy natural sinks then ramp up emissions to insane amounts. Thus the problem we are now facing.

@Devin L: "In this sort of issue we destroy natural sinks then ramp up emissions to insane amounts. Thus the problem we are now facing."

Emphasis on the word "insane".  It's the 'sanitized' and veiled glorification of the 'the problem' in the following link that pulls me deeper each day into a permie lifestyle:

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2016/10/09/magazine/big-food-photo-essay.html?emc=eta1