I keep getting ads saying things like “landfills produce more methane pollutants than 56000 cars” or “tell Congress to fix this one methane leak.” I also hear people bring up farming cows as a counter-arguement for any climate action (but not as a “let’s fix this” type arguement sadly). So my thinking is why aren’t people trying to harvest methane and use it for something? Is it inefficient? Are they stupid?
Harvesting methane from landfills and livestock waste is done, it’s just not nearly as efficient as getting it from the ground.
And while it’s a potent greenhouse gas it breaks down much faster than CO2 in the atmosphere
Incorrect. Methane breaks down into CO2. After it causes the atmosphere to retain significantly more heat. As CO2 it continues to contribute to climate change.
isn’t it more like methane creates CO2 if burned (CH4+2O2->CO2+2H2O)? methane released from cows for example wouldn’t be burnt, how would that change to CO2? (i don’t know much about this, please correct me if i’m wrong)
Yep, methane creates CO2 when burned. Atmospheric methane reacts with atmospheric OH to also make CO2 and water.