Environmental Issues

Methane is an element of chemical composition, with the formula CH4. It is a basic open-chain hydrocarbon containing carbon-to-hydrogen single bonds, and is the major component of natural gas.

Methane is an odorless gas. It is colorless, and lighter than air. It is also tasteless. Methane is created by the breakdown of organic carbons, and is common near wetlands, organic debris deposits, swamps, wooden waste or in places where waste material has been buried. Other properties of methane are

Its melting point is -182.5 degrees Celsius
Methane is insoluble in water, but soluble in alcohol
Methane is renewable, because it is formed from decomposing waste
It is a source of natural gas
When burnt in the presence of oxygen, methane produces carbon dioxide and water
It burns with a blue flame
When burnt, methane emits substantial heat, and for this reason, in addition to the fact that it is relatively plentiful, it is used for fuel.

The major sources of methane include human activities such as rearing domestic animals, production of fossil fuels, cultivation of rice and management of waste. Generally, these human activities are responsible for the release of substantial amounts of methane to the air. It is projected that more than half of the worlds methane emissions are due to human activities. Some of the natural sources of methane on the other hand include swampy areas and wetlands, seas, soils, freshwater masses, termites, permafrost and wildfires.

Methane is a greenhouse gas that adds to the greenhouse effect, which leads to the depletion of the ozone layer. In other words, it contributes to the warming of the atmosphere by reflecting radiation from the surface of the Earth.

As such, it is considered hazard because this effect is feared to point towards global warming, a phenomenon whose consequences are understandably devastating to the worlds environment. Moreover, methane is associated with decomposing waste products and other related substances, which often emit an offensive smell, thereby polluting the air. In view of these facts, methane is considered an environmental hazard. Other risks posed by methane include

It can be absorbed into the body by breathing, and may cause choking by lessening the oxygen content of air if absorbed in huge amounts.

Quick evaporation of methane liquid may lead to frostbite.

Methane emissions are lower than carbon dioxide emissions. Studies indicate that concentrations of methane have increased more than twice fold over the past 200 years. Emissions of this gas are projected to increase more in regionally prosperous areas. However, on a general global view, methane emissions are expected to decrease.

The production and emission of methane can be linked to daily human and related activities such as treatment of sewerage and waste water, management of manure in agricultural areas, ruminant digestion in places where domestic livestock keeping is practiced, coal mining activities, cultivation of rice, waste decomposition in landfalls among other human activities.

In my opinion, it is paradoxical that while methane can be very useful to human life, particularly in the provision of combustion fuel, it is at the same time a potential hazard and threat to human existence since it causes environmental problems as an agent of global warming.