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Methane is twenty-one times more powerful a greenhouse gas as carbon dioxide.

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How do landfills contribute to global warming?

Landfills typically release methane, which is a greenhouse gas produced from rotting organic matter, like food scraps and garden waste. Methane is a greenhouse gas twenty-one times more powerful than carbon dioxide.


What gases contribute the the greenhouse effect?

Any gas which has at least three atoms can be a greenhouse gas. Only they can absorb infrared radiation.The following are the main greenhouse gases. The number after the name indicates the equivalent greenhouse gas effect compared to carbon dioxide (the principal man-made greenhouse gas):Water vapor (H2O) = ?Carbon dioxide (CO2) = 1Methane (CH4) = 21Nitrous oxide (N2O) = 298Sulfur Hexafluoride (SF6) = 22,200Chlorinated fluorocarbons (CFCs) = 1000 to 9000Water vapor and Carbon dioxide are largely responsible for the natural greenhouse effect, which has kept the planet warm for millions of years.Carbon dioxide, Methane, N2O, SF6 and CFCs are responsible for the enhanced greenhouse effect which is causing global warming.


Do grass clippings make greenhouse gases?

Decomposing grass clippings release carbon dioxide under aerobic conditions and if burned. They release methane if decomposed under anaerobic conditions. These gases are greenhouse gases. The carbon dioxide emissions pretty much balance with the amount removed to create the grass. The methane is 21 times as potent a GHG as carbon dioxide so the greenhouse impact would be more significant.


How many times more carbon is in the oceans than in the atmosphere?

The oceans contain about 50 times more carbon dioxide (CO2) than the atmosphere and 19 times more than the land biosphere.


What human activities might tend to increase the greenhouse effect?

Anything that uses fossil fuels (coal, oil and natural gas). Driving, using electricity, cooking, heating, cooling, etc.Deforestation. Forests are cut down to grow palm oil, or to pasture cattle.Cement manufacture, which is responsible for 5% of man's carbon dioxide. 36 tons of cement releases 20 tons of carbon dioxide.Poor farming practices which release methane from cattle, pig farming and rice paddy fields.

Related Questions

How many more times heat does methane trap than carbon dioxide?

It is 21 times more effective than carbon dioxide in blocking escaping radiant heat.


What gas is 20 times better at collecting heat than carbon dioxide?

Methane blocks heat radiation twenty times more effectively per molecule than does carbon dioxide. Fortunately, atmospheric methane concentrations are very much lower than carbon dioxide.


What is the overall effect of methane compared to carbon dioxide?

Methane is a potent greenhouse gas, 21 to 25 times more potent than carbon dioxide. Some estimates put this value at up to 33 times more potent. The overal impact of methane on global warming is estimated to be about half of carbon dioxode's impact due to the lower concentration in the atmosphere.


When methane is burnt does it produce more carbon dioxide than natural gas?

Methane is practically the same as natural gas. When 1 molecule of methane (CH4) is burnt in oxygen it produces 1 molecule of carbon dioxide (CO2) and two molecules of water (H2O). If the methane is NOT burnt it causes twenty times more damage as a greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide. (So keep lighting those farts!)


Is carbon dioxide the only gas causing global warming?

No, but carbon dioxide is the main gas. Methane is the next most important gas causing global warming. Methane is more than twenty times more powerful than carbon dioxide, but not so plentiful. Methane comes from cattle, as well as from melting lakes and tundra.


How are greenhouse gases produced and are they more or less of a problem than carbon dioxide?

The greenhouse gases that are causing global warming are carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane (CH4). This carbon dioxide comes from burning of fossil fuels (coal, oil and natural gas) in industry, transport and the generation of electricity. The methane comes from rotting organic material in landfills, pig and cattle farms and from melting tundra and lakes. Methane is a greenhouse gas twenty-one times more dangerous, than carbon dioxide, but there is much more carbon dioxide.


What is burning methane?

Burning methane is a chemical reaction where methane gas (CH4) is combined with oxygen (O2) to produce carbon dioxide (CO2) and water (H2O). This reaction releases energy in the form of heat and light, making it a common method for generating heat or electricity. However, burning methane also produces carbon dioxide emissions, contributing to climate change.


What is the chemical equation for an imperfect perfect burn?

An imperfect burn of a hydrocarbon like methane can produce carbon monoxide (CO) instead of carbon dioxide (CO2), due to insufficient oxygen. The chemical equation for an imperfect burn of methane is CH4 + O2 → CO + H2O.


How much more heat does methane capture than carbon dioxide?

There are various comparisons but methane is generally seen as capturing about 21 times more heat per unit of mass than carbon dioxide over a 100 year period. In the short term the methane may be 70 to 1000 times more effective, but it dissipates more rapidly. This is due to the relative half lives of the two gases in the environment.


How can you reduce the impact of burning methane on global warming?

We can stop burning methane. Actually burning methane is better than letting it escape into the atmosphere. Methane, when burnt, emits carbon dioxide, a powerful greenhouse gas, but methane, when released into the air, is twenty-one times more dangerous.


How strong is methane on its effect on global warming?

Methane is a potent greenhouse gas, with a much greater ability to trap heat in the atmosphere than carbon dioxide over a 20-year period. Its impact on global warming is significant, especially when considering its short-term effects. Reducing methane emissions can help mitigate climate change.


What is in the air at all times?

Air is approximately 20% oxygen, 79% nitrogen and a mixture of argon, other inert gases, methane, carbon dioxide and ozone.