Small print in the Kyoto Protocol threatens to make global warming more severe than it need be over the next 10 years or so. An obscure rule is discouraging countries from applying cheap technologies that could dramatically curb global warming in the short term, warns a British climate scientist. Measures as simple as fixing leaky gas pipes or capping landfill sites could cut emissions of methane, a powerful and fast-acting greenhouse gas, says Euan Nisbet of Royal Holloway, University of London. But the protocol's rules mean nations will get little reward for such work, compared to the often more expensive efforts to cut carbon dioxide. "Cutting CO_2 emissions is essential," he says. "But we have neglected methane and the near-term benefits it could bring."
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