Sapping
the Global Methane Bomb
Methane
gas is an efficient greenhouse gas. If released from the sea floor
and north slope of the Arctic littoral due to global heating in vast
quantity it just might terminate human life on Earth rather swiftly.
It would therefore be right policy to innovate numerous methods of
capturing possible future methane gas releases and converting the gas
into a practico-inert material like plastic.
Human
technological reply to large environmental challenges in the age of
political fracture have a poor track record. Cessation of
chlorofluorocarbon emissions from spray deodorants and eliminating
freon from air conditioners was sufficient to stop theincrease of the
Antarctic ozone hole, yet the global methane problem requires active
rather than passive remediation should it occur.
One
of the related consequences of the existing global warming schedule
is the heating of the Arctic ocean in the absence of an ice cap.
Increased ocean temperature may cause increasing methane releases
from the sea floor. Warming and melting permafrost ashore will
release methane and carbon dioxide sequestered presently within the
permafrost. Additionally north slope fires of former permafrost moss
will release vast quantities of toxic metal industrial fallout from
prior decades that fell in precipitation (such as mercury) into the
atmosphere for redistribution.
It
may be necessary to innovate new techniques of capturing and
reprocessing methane gas and toxic metals prior to the actual
emergency occurring. Drone technologies may be instrumental in
trapping gas. From the British Petroleum response to great Gulf of
Mexico oil spill disaster it is easy to understand the gap in
competence required to address even comparatively small elemental
molecular releases to the ecosphere effectively.
Image credit N.A.S.A
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