Energy Gases - The Methane Age and Beyond

The combustion of fossil fuels results in the emissions of gases and pollutants that produce adverse ecological effects. Evidence is also accumulating that suggests they may also cause global climate change. The combustion gases that are connected with global climate change are primarily carbon dioxide (CO2) and to a lesser degree methane (CH4). These gases already occur in low concentrations in the atmosphere, but energy use and other human activities are rapidly increasing the atmospheric concentrations of these and other greenhouse gases, and may therefore lead to additional global warming during the next century. Although the greenhouse gases that result from energy use are the most important cause of this concern, the energy gases also offer a potential solution to this problem