Tuesday, April 4, 2023 | 10am to 11am
About this Event
21 AMES ST, Cambridge, MA 02139
Methane vs. CO2 in climate policy: The problem with global warming potenials
Greenhouse gases differ amongst each other in two primary characteristics: their atmospheric
lifetime and their radiative efficiency. These lead to dramatically different kinds of relations
between emissions rate and warming, with great implications for climate policy. The widely
used family of metrics, n-year Global Warming Potentials, do not adequately reflect the actual
consequences of emission control strategies embracing both short-lived and long-lived gases,
and in typical cases exaggerate the urgency of methane emissions abatement. The stock
phrase typically used in most recent journalism, that “Methane is 80X worse than CO2 over a 20
year period” is particularly misleading. This issue has particularly important consequences for
the impact of livestock-based agriculture on climate.
About this Series: Supported by the Houghton Fund, Houghton Lecturers are distinguished visitors from outside MIT invited by the EAPS Program in Atmospheres, Oceans and Climate to spend a period of time, ranging from a week to several months, as scientists-in-residence within our Program. For more information and Zoom password please contact Kayla Bauer: kbauer@mit.edu