Should It Be Called "Natural Gas" or "Methane"?
Provided by: Yale Program on Climate Change Communication|Published on: April 27, 2021|Last updated: September 26, 2026
Grades: 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12
Type: Articles/Websites
Subjects: Science, English Language Arts, Mathematics
Authors: Karine Lacroix, Matthew Goldberg
Location: North America, North America > United States
This resource has been reviewed by SubjectToClimate's climate scientists and verified for scientific accuracy and up-to-date information. Learn about our review process →
This resource has been reviewed by SubjectToClimate's climate scientists and verified for scientific accuracy and up-to-date information. Learn about our review process →
Synopsis
- This article shows the effect of word choice on people's perceptions and feelings about natural gas compared to methane.
- The data shows how people's opinions change based on political party and different wording including natural gas, natural methane gas, methane, and methane gas.
Teaching Materials
Positives
- The article and data describe an experiment that is easy to follow and analyze.
- The article can be a significant component of a media literacy, advertising, or literacy lesson.
Additional Prerequisites
- Students should have a basic knowledge of fossil fuels and climate change.
Differentiation
- Students can analyze why they think the word "natural" influenced people's perceptions regardless of their political party.
- Teachers can preview essential vocabulary like methane and greenhouse gas.
- ELL students can be given the article beforehand to read.
- After reading the article, students can experiment to see if other terms, such as global warming or climate change, carry different perceptions and feelings.
- Other resources related to these topics include this interactive map and data on global methane emissions and this video on the importance of reducing methane emissions.
Methane is a major greenhouse gas like carbon dioxide. It constitutes 60-90% of natural gas, but carbon dioxide is mostly caused by human activities. From the randomized sample, respondents had a positive feeling about natural methane gas compared to methane and methane gas, but the degree of contribution is the same. All have the same molecules. Methane contributes more to global warming in the atmosphere than carbon dioxide, but the good thing is that methane has a shorter residence time. It takes about 9 years for a molecule of methane to last in the atmosphere, but it takes about 100 years for a molecule of carbon dioxide to last in the atmosphere. This is the reason scientists give more attention to studying carbon dioxide than any other greenhouse gas. This resource is recommended for educators to teach students of this grade level to understand the underlying perception of methane gas and its contributions to global warming.
Teaching Tips
Standards
Resource Type and Format
Scientist Reviewed
This resource has been reviewed by SubjectToClimate's climate scientists and verified for scientific accuracy and up-to-date information. Our review process ensures that every resource in our library reflects the current state of climate science.
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