ace:
True, the increased percentage of methane gas is much higher than carbon dioxide. And it's warming capacity per particle is higher. But the answer to why Carbon Dioxide matters more is in your own post.
CO2 accounts for 375 ppm
Methane accounts for 1800 ppb
CO2 is a significant part of our atmosphere while methane remains a trace gas.
Methane gas is also a product of industrial and agricultural pollution. It's increase is not entirely a product of 'natural' cycle.
Our over-use of fertilizers, landfills and natural gas extraction contribute to the methane rise.
Also, the average global temperature rise of 0.5C is a global average. The poles actually are warmed approx 1.5 to 2C while the equator sees virtually no temperature rise at all. This is important because of the delicate balance we are seeing tipped for our polar ice.
Without greenhouse gases, the earth would be uninhabitable. They are a good thing. But then, too much of a good thing can kill you. Oxygen is a caustic gas. It is just in a small enough quantity that it helps us thrive. Nitrogen makes up 78% of our atmosphere. At 90% a spark would set this entire planet on fire.
The planet will spring back from all the gasses we pump into it's atmosphere. The question is, will it happen while humans still have a future?
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