Proposal: In the short term focus on Methane reduction. Mid to Longer term focus on CO2 reductions.

Why?

Atul Jain, a U. of I. atmospheric scientist says;

“Most of these methane abatement technologies can be quickly implemented with existing technologies,”

“Because of its short atmospheric response time of about 12 years, methane concentrations will respond quickly to emission reductions, producing an immediate and significant impact on climate change”

There are five major sources of man-made methane in the United States — landfills, coal mining, bovine emissions, manure systems and the production and transmission of natural gas. A significant amount of these emissions can be reduced through the use of currently available, economically justified and easily verified options. Such options include capturing the methane and recovering the cost of the emission-reduction technology by selling the gas or using it to displace other energy inputs.

My favorite – Bovine ‘emissions’ – “Agriculture is responsible for producing 37 percent of global methane emissions, a gas that is 23 times more potent than CO2 when it comes to global warming. And much of this gas comes from the burps of ruminating animals such as cows and sheep. If a cow’s manners could be improved a bit, then the world might just stop warming quite so fast. And it could be as simple as getting them to graze on different types of plants. Scientists at the University of Aberystwyth are now working on using plant-breeding methods to develop new diets for livestock.

“Normally a cow’s stomach is pretty inefficient — 80 percent of food ingested comes out as waste or methane. The average cow produces between 300 and 500 liters of methane a day, most of it through belching. “There is a common misperception about how methane gets into the atmosphere,” Michael Abberton, a scientist at the Aberystwsth’s Institute of Grassland and Environmental Research, said Monday. “It is actually through belching rather than the other end.”

Abberton told a briefing on farming and climate change at London’s Science Media Center that the key could be developing new varieties of legumes and grass, as well as planting more clover and birdsfoot trefoil, a common wildflower. These could change the way the bacteria in the cow’s gut breaks down food. According to the scientist, developing new varieties of plants which are easier to digest could allow farmers to avoid reducing stock while still cutting methane emissions.

Gee, easier to grow, easier to digest = easier to breathe.