14 DAY TRIAL // There is a new greenhouse gas in town, and word has it that this chemical compound makes CO2 look like a crybaby.
The chemical was recently discovered by researchers working with the University of Toronto, who say that, according to their investigations, this newly found compound is about 7,000 times more potent than CO2 over a 100-year period.
This means that, when compared to CO2, it is way more gifted at messing with the planet and fueling both climate change and global warming.
The only good news is that, at least for the time being, its atmospheric concentrations are not high enough to drastically alter global weather patterns.
Then again, brainiacs say that it has a lifespan of about 500 years, and that there is no known method of sequestration for it, so the parade is not entirely rain-free.
The greenhouse gas discovered by the University of Toronto researchers is known to the scientific community as perfluorotributylamine. Those who don't enjoy tongue-twisters can also call it PFTBA.
The specialists who documented its presence in our planet's atmosphere say that it does not occur naturally, and that it only ended up in the environment thanks to people's making use of it in the electrical industry since the 20th century.
Otherwise put, perfluorotributylamine is just another example of how human society's heavily industrialized ways can affect the planet without our even knowing that something is off.
Presently, PFTBA emissions are not regulated in any way. “PFTBA is just one example of an industrial chemical that is produced but there are no policies that control its production, use or emission. It is not being regulated by any type of climate policy,” study co-author Angela Hong says, as cited by Inhabitat.
In light of their findings, the University of Toronto researchers urge that legislation to control its production and use be implemented as soon as possible.