Let a molecule of carbon dioxide escape into the atmosphere, and it stays for centuries. There’s more than enough up there to smother the planet like a too-warm quilt, trapping heat within and weirding the weather. The damage will be felt for generations. But CO 2 is only part of the patchwork of warming. Methane locks in far more heat in the short term and has been leaking just as relentlessly. Methane Surge Atmospheric concentrations of methane are 2.5x higher than in pre-industrial times 2K parts per billion 1 0 2020 800,000 years ago Note: Direct measurements began in 1984 Sources: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency ; National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration The difference is that methane’s power fades faster, within just decades. If we stopped emissions today, almost all the methane in the atmospheric blanket would degrade within a lifetime. Methane vs. Carbon Dioxide Scientists use a metric called […]