The role of methane on climate change has been underestimated, according to a research team led by Drew Shindell of NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies. In an article prepared for the journal Science, Shindell said that the research shows that chemical interactions between GHGs other than CO2 "cause more global warming than previously estimated by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change," USA Today wrote today.
The study was conducted as an effort to look at "each gas's 'global Warming Potential,' or individual contribution to global warming," Shindell said, adding: "The total amount of warming doesn't change, just the balance of gasses behind it." According to the study, methane played a much bigger role than what was known earlier and suggested that global climate treaties should seriously consider its role as well.
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