sasmuchastimesmoreeffectiveinpotentiallywarmingtheEarth’ssurfaceovera-yearperiodthaneachadditionalgramofcarbondioxide(USEPA,a).Comparedwithothergreenhousegases,methanehasarelativelyshortatmosphericlifetime.Thelifetimeofmethane(definedasitsatmosphericcontentdividedbyitsrateofremoval)isapproximatelyyears.Duetoitsshortlifetime,stabilizingmethaneemissionscanhaveadramaticimpactondecreasingthebuildupofgreenhousegasesintheatmosphere.Coalminemethanerecoveryanduserepresentacost-effectivemeansofsignificantlyreducingmethaneemissionsfromcoalmines.Methane,moreover,isaremarkablycleanfuel.Methanecombustionproducesnosulfurdioxideorparticulatesandonlyhalftheamountofcarbondioxidethatisassociatedwithcoalcombustiononanenergyequivalentbasis.Becauseoftheenvironmentalimpactofcoalminemethaneemissions,theUSEPA,theInternationalEnergyAgenciffer,)。
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