Global warming has already increased the odds of record hot and wet events happening in 75 percent of North America, says Stanford Earth professor Noah Diffenbaugh.
Satellite technology will soon allow for close monitoring of carbon emissions and even methane from power plants, though it’s not quite there yet, says Rob Jackson.
"We need to cut emissions, but they are rising for both carbon dioxide and methane. We need to explore other ways to remove greenhouse gases after they’re in the atmosphere," says Rob Jackson.
Stanford scientists argue that we can limit warming by chemically converting methane to carbon dioxide. “Our paper is a call to view methane removal as an opportunity,” says lead author Rob Jackson.
“Methane emissions are a big deal. About a sixth of the warming that we’ve had since the start of the Industrial Revolution has been caused by methane,” says Rob Jackson.
“The notion of restoring the atmosphere sends a message of hope to people,” says Stanford Earth's Rob Jackson. “I would love to see something like this happen in my lifetime.”
Research co-authored by Stanford Earth's Adam Brandt suggests that more than half the volume of all methane emissions from natural gas come from just the largest 5 percent of leaks.
“The success of corporate zero-deforestation pledges largely depends on the presence of supportive public policies that create an enabling environment,” says Eric Lambin.
"People do need to understand that the impact of meat-based agriculture is really large and, personally, I'm thrilled to see range of options to help address the issue," says Stanford's Chris Field.
We get the rising temperatures and higher sea levels, but economic inequality from global warming? Yes, say scientists. Noah Diffenbaugh discusses the research with radio host Geoffrey Riley.
Stanford's Chris Field says people don’t have to give up meat entirely to make a difference, and that pork and chicken have much smaller environmental footprints than beef.
