What it really means is that the methane emitted today will stay in the atmosphere for the next 10-12 years. Then, every successive emission of this gas will only prolong its existence in the atmosphere. While it is up there in the atmosphere it heats up our planet way more than CO2 does (84x) due to its property of absorbing more heat. Hence, it makes sense to reduce its emissions to prevent this over-heating over decades.
Also, the "short-life" is only in comparison to CO2, a decade or more otherwise isn't short a time if measured relative to a human's lifetime :)
Having trouble following your logic, or lack thereof. If methane doesn't last long in the atmosphere, why worry about it?
What it really means is that the methane emitted today will stay in the atmosphere for the next 10-12 years. Then, every successive emission of this gas will only prolong its existence in the atmosphere. While it is up there in the atmosphere it heats up our planet way more than CO2 does (84x) due to its property of absorbing more heat. Hence, it makes sense to reduce its emissions to prevent this over-heating over decades.
Also, the "short-life" is only in comparison to CO2, a decade or more otherwise isn't short a time if measured relative to a human's lifetime :)
Hope this helps. Thank you for the question :)
The only spam which generates genuine interest. Enjoyed your fart-centric fresh approach towards environment acidic/heat/indigestion concern :)