Hugh_Cohen

First of all, how is this a conspiracy? It's a natural gas leak. Second, we should be more worried about animal agriculture: "Globally, the Agriculture sector is the primary source of CH4 emissions." Source

And coming straight from this article: "Methane - the main component of natural gas - is a powerful short-term climate forcer, with over 80 times the warming power of carbon dioxide in the first 20 years after it is released."

Not to say we shouldn't be worried about leaks like this, but more people should concern themselves with reducing their intake of animal products rather than get wound up over smaller issues such as this.

Sciency

This is speculation on my part, but I feel that we would be better off lighting up these leaks and letting them burn themselves out over coming years.

Pretty sure water and CO2 (and heat) are the only byproducts of the reaction. CO2 would be far less problematic than methane in the same ammounts.

Lag-wagon

I thought the issue was the Fukushima nuclear dump from Japan not methane.

Sciency

Pretty sure neither are doing wonders for the environment, but methane is gonna have a much more direct effect on weather than neuclear contamination. Methane is a very potent greenhouse gas.

The only way I see fallout causing tempature swings, is indirectly, as the pollution kills off plants and animals that directly effect the O2/CO2 levels in their ecosystems. Decomposing animals would also likely give off various gasses that can act as greenhouse agents when they enter the atmosphere.

Lag-wagon

I was talking more to the die off of animals than the change in climate.