Curbing Climate Change
Methane concentrations could be restored to preindustrial levels of ~750ppb by oxidizing ~3.2 of the 5.3 Pg methane in the atmosphere catalytically. This thermodynamically favorable reaction would cut total radiative forcing by approximately one sixth. We propose to test the feasibility of fully oxidizing methane from bulk air--to our knowledge the first attempt to do so--using zeolites. Such a goal of atmospheric restoration provides a framework for change at a time when climate action is desperately needed.
Related News & Insights
By focusing on the climate impact of methane over a 100-year timeframe, international climate negotiators have underestimated the importance of this short-lived greenhouse gas for achieving Paris climate agreement goals, a new Stanford University study finds.
Stanford human rights experts, engineers, economists, geologists, marine biologists and others soon will collaborate on finding new ways to combat air pollution, mine wastewater for valuable resources, reduce food waste and more.
A seemingly counterintuitive approach – converting one greenhouse gas into another – holds promise for returning the atmosphere to pre-industrial concentrations of methane, a powerful driver of global warming.