Methane and Climate Change
‘This book takes a unique and powerful approach to the global methane problem. The organization by the key sources (termites, rice, ruminants etc.) illustrates the global nature of the challenge and directly points the way to novel solutions.’ Peter M. Groffman,
Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies, USA
This timely and authoritative book provides the only comprehensive and balanced overview of our current knowledge of sources of methane and how these might be controlled to limit future climate change. It highlights how sources of methane might themselves be affected by climate change, and shows how numerous sources of methane have the potential to be more easily addressed than sources of carbon dioxide, and can therefore contribute significantly to climate change mitigation in the 21st century. Dave Reay is a senior lecturer in carbon management in the School of Geosciences at the University of Edinburgh. He is the author of several climate change books and runs the Greenhouse Gas Online website, which has won several awards. Pete Smith is the Royal Society Wolfson Professor of Soils and Global Change, in the School of Biological Sciences at the University of Aberdeen, UK. André van Amstel is Assistant Professor in the Department of Environmental Sciences at Wageningen University, The Netherlands.
edited by Dave Reay, Pete Smith and AndrÉ van Amstel
Methane is a powerful greenhouse gas and is estimated to be responsible for approximately a fifth of manmade global warming. Per kilogram, its global warming potential is 25 times that of carbon dioxide – and global warming is likely to enhance methane release from a number of sources. Current natural and manmade sources include many where methane-producing micro-organisms can thrive in anaerobic conditions, particularly ruminant livestock, rice cultivation, landfill, wastewater, wetlands and marine sediments.
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Methane and Climate Change
www.earthscan.co.uk
Bicycles in a Rice Field © Joel Carillet/istockphoto.com Leaves/gas hob © Dave Reay
Climate Change/Agriculture and Food/Environmental Science
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Cover photos: Cows at pasture © Tracy Tucker/istockphoto.com
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edited by Dave Reay, Pete Smith and AndrÉ van Amstel
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First published in 2010 by Earthscan Copyright © Dr David R. Reay, Professor Pete Smith and Dr André van Amstel, 2010 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, except as expressly permitted by law, without the prior, written permission of the publisher. Earthscan Ltd, Dunstan House, 14a St Cross Street, London EC1N 8XA, UK Earthscan LLC, 1616 P Street, NW, Washington, DC 20036, USA Earthscan publishes in association with the International Institute for Environment and Development For more information on Earthscan publications, see www.earthscan.co.uk or write to