Methane warning is a call for more emissions reductions

NEW research has shown that natural methane emissions from melting permafrost in Arctic regions and from tropical wetlands, are much higher than previously thought and increasing, a consequence of overall warmer atmospheric temperatures induced by human activity. The phenomenon has been long feared by climate scientists and now appears to be a reality: It is called the "clathrate gun," a feedback loop in which a warmer atmosphere causes methane to be released, which in turn causes more atmospheric warming, releasing more methane. There is nothing that can be done about it directly, but the phenomenon and its consequences make the reduction of all manner of man-made emissions an even more critical priority.