CO2-equivalent

Divergent metrics for methane’s heating effect

October 26, 2019

CO2-e , CO2-e* and CO2-we:  Divergent  Metrics for  Methane’s Additions  to  Atmospheric Heating in Scenarios of Sub-optimal or no Mitigation.    photo of a playground in Butler Co PA USA next to a fracking pad is by Moms for Clean Air Force   source: www.climatevisuals.org Summary: I did simulations using the GWP and the variant GWP* [...]

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CO2-e is the Wrong Metric for Methane’s Heating Effects

October 10, 2019

     Schematic illustration of how global mean temperatures respond to different emissions trends in carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane (CH4)  source Allen, Cain Lynch Frame (2018)   Summary The atmosphere,  a major sector of the carbon cycle,  manages methane (CH4) and carbon dioxide (CO2)  very differently.   Use of a Global Warming Potential ratio (GWP)  [...]

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Methane Manifest

September 29, 2019

                                                                                                                                                        Methane Manifest                                                                                        Idealized conception of fracking   source http://greenplug.nu/hydraulic-fracturing-what-is-hydraulic-fracturing/  Summary By holding yearly methane emissions constant or falling for the next ten years and keeping them on that track thereafter, humanity could arrest that gas’s outsize additions to atmospheric heat-trapping.  Letting methane emissions rise year after year as they are almost certainly doing [...]

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Methane madness

August 10, 2019

  Rising unacknowledged  emissions of methane from the natural gas supply chain  are dangerously under-estimated as  a driver  of global heating and must be ended. Stephen Q. Shafer  MD MA MPH                                                                                                     Aerial view of fracking pad in Pennsylvania  photo source Smithsonian magazine Summary:  The  natural gas industry  is now  the largest source  of [...]

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Carbon Foodprints in American Agriculture

December 17, 2017

                                                                        photo “Corn Harvest”  from pixabay,com This is the fifth essay in a series on how American agriculture can  thrive in  a strenuous good-faith effort to halt global warming.  The  first four,   earliest first: 1.   What-is-a-carbon-footprint  2.    Comparing-carbon-footprints-of-world-and-american-agriculture   3.    Fossil-fuels-in-the-carbon-footprint-of-american-ag   4.  Carbon-tax-and-american-agriculture   Abstract   I [...]

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Carbon tax and American Agriculture

December 14, 2017

The Keeling Curve:   Atmospheric CO2 at Mauna Loa Observatory,  annual peak and  trough by year 1960 to now  Source Scripps Institute This is the fourth of a series of essays about American agriculture and climate change.  The first three, in order of appearance are these:   1.   what-is-a-carbon-footprint 2.    comparing-carbon-footprints-of-world-and-american-agriculture 3.   Fossil [...]

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Comparing carbon footprints of world and American agriculture

December 2, 2017

              June grazing: photo by Stephen Shafer    Abstract In the  world, and in the USA, crop and livestock agriculture  accounts for about 10% of total greenhouse gas emissions.  In both spheres, fossil fuel combustion (FFC)    is usually tagged with only  9-12% of agricultural GHG releases.  Ag-related sources not [...]

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What is a Carbon Footprint

December 2, 2017

  Part 1.  What is a “carbon footprint”  and how do we use it?   First in the series,  directly below    Part 2.  Comparing the carbon footprints  of world and American agriculture.       Part 3.  Fossil Fuels  in the Carbon Footprint of American Agriculture  Part 4.   Carbon Tax  Part 5.  Carbon foodprints in American agriculture [...]

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