Climate change and methane

Dear Sir

Further to the melting permafrost in Russia releasing methane gas into our atmosphere, it has now been discovered that previously frozen methane gas is being released underneath the sea covering the massive continental shelf of Siberia at a rate hundreds of times greater than normal. 

The most likely cause is warming Atlantic currents intruding into the Arctic Ocean which in itself will also accelerate the melting of the Arctic ice, raising our planets sea levels. Methane is a far more deadly greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide and can increase atmospheric warming up to eighty times that of carbon dioxide, having the potential to create an unstoppable self propagating loop; as more heat creates more melting and releases more methane to create even more heat ad infinitum! 

As our warming oceans heat cold oceans, it affects convection of all of our planet’s oceans and so easily can move the Gulf Stream which surrounds the UK and helps maintain our temperate climate. If the Gulf Stream moves out to the oceans and the Jet Stream high in the atmosphere moves also, as it has started to do in recent years, then this will have a catastrophic affect on our temperature, our weather and the food production on our farms. 

When we finally leave Europe on the 31st of December, we cannot rely any more on our Government acting on powerful European legislation constantly being introduced to fight climate change, so we must each try to do even more to reduce pollution, like trying to swap our cars for a bike or walking into town at weekends. David Attenborough has an amazing documentary on Netflix titled “A Life on our Planet” which sums up the future perfectly!

Michael Saunders,

Bowerhill.