Methane is the Wild Card

Like the declining health of the world’s oceans and coral reefs, methane is the wild card in the environmental litany of woes. Its solution falls into the realm of prayer.

As the permafrost in the Arctic region begins to thaw due to melting Arctic ice, as peatbogs in tropical forests are exposed to sunlight due to deforestation, methane rises into the atmosphere.  It has 20 times the destructive force of CFCs, and 40 times the impact of a greenhouse gas like C02.

CFC’s, or chlorofluorocarbons found in refrigerants, aerosols and solvents, contain chlorine or bromine. Their rise into the Earth’s upper atmosphere cause the depletion of the ozone shield.

The release of CFCs from the developed world into the atmosphere were the driving force behind the establishment of the Montreal Protocol. The Montreal Protocol - on substances that deplete the ozone shield that surrounds the Earth - became effective in 1989. By signing the treaty, nation’s around the world agreed to halt production of CFC’s to save the Earth.

Methane has no such champion. Its effects are known, but almost unstoppable. That’s why I say that its resolution falls into the realm of prayer. Or meditation. The problem will only be “solved” when we take our own personal role in the healing process of the Earth seriously.

Methane is an evolutionary driver. In time, it will force us to begin to seriously confront our own health and wellbeing. To adapt, we will be required to rapidly change.

Right now, all life on Earth is searching for adaptation strategies. We’ll soon enter the realm of hyper evolution. I’ll track these changes and report back to you here on what I’ve found.