Political Implications
Methane politics is of interest not only in and of itself, but also in how it may shed light on climate, environmental and nature politics more broadly.
Hence, METHPOL involves constant dialogue with debates and developments in climate and environmental politics and political ecology. We ask:
- If methane politics really is different from carbon dioxide politics, then what are the broader implications of this for climate research and policy? What would it mean – normatively, politically and analytically – to adopt a more CH4-centred and less CO2-centred approach to climate research and policy? How might centring methane transform our understanding of the nature and causes of our climate crisis?
- To what extent is the global crisis of ever-rising methane emissions politically-induced? Is the methane crisis in essence a political crisis?
- What are the ‘climate justice’ implications of methane emissions and methane mitigation? and
- What fresh light might methane politics shed on key debates in environmental politics and political ecology, for instance on different theories of change, on the relative merits of state- versus corporate-led action, on the North-South politics of climate change, and on reformist versus transformational approaches to climate action?