Global warming accelerating? Satellite finds 'super methane emitter' that's scarier than carbon dioxide
Global warming accelerating? Satellites have discovered "super methane emitters", which are more terrifying than carbon dioxide. Many years ago, scientists realized the impact of "methane" on global warming. For example, in the 1990s, some American scientists pointed out that in the future The most serious greenhouse gas in the earth's atmosphere will no longer be carbon dioxide, but a steady stream of methane. As an organic compound, methane exists everywhere on the earth. For example, in glaciers and permafrost, there is also a large amount of methane. With their melting, these "ancient methane" are also released in modern times. come out. There are also biological activities in nature that can also produce methane. For example, in recent years, many researchers in Europe and the United States have proposed to reduce animal husbandry, because the farts of livestock are also "methane". Therefore, in addition to the very intuitive carbon dioxide, in fact, "methane", which is not so valued by people, is the hidden "climate killer" on the earth, which may push human beings into a new crisis. For example, in the journal "Science Advances" some time ago, some researchers pointed out that satellites have discovered a new "super methane emitter" on the earth, and its appearance is also related to humans, or it is precisely Humans created it. So, who is this "super methane emitter"? The answer is "landfill". According to data, on the earth, the annual amount of municipal waste alone is as much as 2 billion tons, and the final destination of these wastes is the landfill, where, In addition to part of the waste being landfilled, the rest ends up being incinerated. How much greenhouse gas will this produce? Columbia University in the United States has conducted relevant research and found that landfills in the United States produce at least about 300 million metric tons of greenhouse gases every year. What is the concept? Equivalent to 5.5% of total US emissions, it can be said that this is definitely not a small number. Especially looking at the world, there are many countries with low garbage recycling rate, and the treatment methods of garbage are more simple and crude, that is, direct incineration, which also means that in this process, it will continue to serve the earth. Inject more greenhouse gases, thereby accelerating global warming. And because the garbage dump itself is a place where bacteria are easy to breed, in this process, bacteria grow and move, and a large amount of methane will continue to be produced, which also means that even if the garbage is not incinerated, it is sold. , it will also bring more serious methane pollution problems. Many researchers believe that garbage dumps have already become the third largest source of methane emissions on the earth, and if the causes of global warming are divided, at least 25% of global warming is related to methane emissions. . Naturally, human activities continue to inject various greenhouse gases into the earth's atmosphere, overloading the earth's climate, and it is simply too late to consume and adjust the climate balance. Global warming is accelerating, and one climate critical point after another It is inevitable to be broken. So, how many tipping points does Earth have? Are they all broken? The study believes that there are a total of 15 climate critical points on the earth. However, as early as 2019, Australian meteorologist Steffen published a research article in the journal "Nature", saying that humans have broken through the critical ones. The nine tipping points are: West Antarctic Ice Sheet, Arctic Sea Ice, Greenland Ice Sheet, Permafrost, Parts of East Antarctic, Amazon Rainforest, Boreal Coniferous Forest, Warm Water Coral, and Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation. What will happen to Earth when these tipping points are broken? To give a vivid example: the current climate of the earth is like a ship sailing on the water. When the weather is calm, the ship will not be in any danger, but if the wind suddenly starts to blow and the waves are rough, then, There is a risk of overturning. Now many friends have found that the earth's climate in recent years seems to be more and more unusual. In fact, this is related to the breaking of the climate critical point. Simply put, the earth's climate extremes have been activated, and it is possible It is impossible to return to the original stable state. If the remaining six critical points are also broken by human beings, then the earth may no longer be suitable for human survival. Many researchers regard the "climate tipping point" as the last straw that crushes human beings, because it is closely related to the fate of human beings. Maybe some friends have seen the movie "The Day After Tomorrow". The background of the story here, It is because the climate tipping point was broken that the earth suddenly entered an ice age. Although there is a high probability that the situation inside will not really happen in the real world, after all, the earth's climate change is a slow process, and it is impossible for earth-shaking changes to occur overnight, but this is like "boiled frogs in warm water" , we still need to pay attention to it, otherwise, our tomorrow may be "The Day After Tomorrow", what do you think?