An absolutely wild debate in the r/Conspiracy subreddit is pinning increased methane pollution on tectonic shifts instead of human activity and points to an increased incidence of fog as a sign.
Meteorologists have a more sensible explanation for the fog: Warm air is trapping cool air close to the ground. The warm, moist air moving over cool air or ground keeps humidity dense enough to make fog. It can also contain any pollutants in the air until the wind disperses them, which could produce some stagnant smells.
Methane pollution comes from a variety of sources, but natural sources account for less than half of overall methane emissions, according to the United Nations and NASA. All geological activity worldwide produces about the same amount of heat-trapping gases as three medium-sized U.S. states. In fact, the relationship between climate and tectonic activity could be inverted.
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Definitely 💯 The source of the conspiracy theory seems to be a wide range of social media videos coming on the heels of isolated incidents of fog throughout late December. While a lot of the discourse surrounding this weather has been harmless attempts at connecting dots that don't actually have a nefarious relationship, many commenters have preemptively dismissed the planet's rising temperatures as a player in this case and in general.
"And for the last thirty plus years, they can push climate change as a reason that the people living in glacier lands like Greenland are seeing their island crumbling and melting like nothing ever seen before in the past. It's all for money," said one Redditor, talking about their belief that corporations bear some responsibility. Note that Greenland's thinning ice sheet has been impacted by human-made changes to the climate.
While the original poster claimed "climate change/global warming is a huge scam," the research is backed by some of the most rigorous science in the world.
Climate misinformation and disinformation remain a significant hurdle to progress, making the honest exchange of credible information all the more valuable.
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