Professor Robert Howarth:

I agree with my colleague. Reduced methane emissions can slow the rate of global warming more quickly than reduced emissions of carbon dioxide, where there is a lag of several decades due to uptake and release by the oceans. If we are serious about trying to minimise the risk of major thresholds in the climate system and irreversible runaway global warming, we need to try to keep increase well below 2°C. We do not have until 2050 to do that. We need to start moving that way now. It absolutely requires reducing methane emissions. I do not buy the idea of natural gas as a bridge or transitional fuel at all.

On the question of whether we can move quickly enough on renewables, I think we must try to do so. There are places on the earth where the grid is based more on renewables than non-renewables. Scotland and Denmark are examples of places where this has been achieved. I am sure Ireland can do likewise. There are challenges, but as people of the world we must take those challenges on if the very devastating effects of climate change are to be avoided.