[Systems Thinking] You, Like Methane

The phrase "you, like methane" could also be used to describe a person. This is because of the properties of methane.

The melting point of methane is minus 183 degrees Celsius, and the boiling point is minus 162 degrees Celsius. Therefore, if it is not frozen solid in the ice, it can be considered in a gaseous state. Thus, we can say that a person like methane is always ready to float around.

Methane (CH4) is formed by the combination of four hydrogen (H) atoms and one carbon (C) atom. Carbon dioxide (CO2) can also be called tetrahydrocarbon, as it is formed by the combination of two oxygen (O) atoms and one carbon atom (C). However, the combination of carbon and hydrogen is interesting. The combined strength of carbon and hydrogen is so strong that it hardly reacts with acids, bases, metals, oxidants, and reducers. There is a principle that does not turn the rubber shoe upside down, so a person like methane will not lack a companion animal for life. However, in combustion reactions and substitution reactions, which seem to be intact, there is nothing to be done, so if you are careless, that will be the end. It seems that there is no perfect combination in the world.

However, when third-party looks at hydrogen and carbon, which are so good together, they become very anxious. When I see someone hugging and groping on the subway or at the train station when I travel abroad, I want to say, "Get a room." The same goes for methane. I want to get a room and tie it up so that it cannot be seen. This is because methane plays a deadly role in the greenhouse effect.

Each year, about 50 billion tons of carbon dioxide equivalent, the greenhouse gas that humans emit, is emitted. Among them, 70% is carbon dioxide and 15% is methane gas. Although methane is present in the atmosphere at a level that is about one-fifth that of carbon dioxide, its greenhouse effect is about 25 times that of carbon dioxide. It is truly huge. However, there are differences of opinion among scientists about the causes and scale of human manipulation of nature that lead to methane in addition to the natural causes of methane generation. It is also worrying that research on the causes and scale of methane is less invested than research on carbon dioxide, even though appropriate countermeasures can only be taken if the causes are identified. While there are 2,000 studies on carbon dioxide, there are only about 600 studies on methane.

However, managing methane in the atmosphere can be easily examined with systems thinking. It means thinking of the storage and flow of matter as a bathtub.

Think of the methane in the atmosphere as the water in the bathtub. There are two ways to manage the water in the bathtub: adjust the water coming in and the water going out.

To reduce the amount of water coming in, we need to examine which pipe the water is coming in through. There are three typical cases where methane is generated. First, when organic matter decomposes or ferments in water, second, when coal or natural gas is mined or transported, and third, when methane trapped in the soil seeps out and enters the atmosphere.

There is a term called ruminant, which means an animal that chews repeatedly. The word "ruminant" means an animal that repeats the act of chewing. The word "ruminant" means an animal that repeats the act of chewing, which refers to the shape in which the bundles of grass are tied in both directions as if held in the hand. In other words, it refers to an animal that repeats rumination for a long time,

Ref. The methane mystery:
Scientists struggle to explain a worrying rise in atmospheric methane.
A potent greenhouse gas
- The Economist Apr 28th, 2018