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Readers reply: If all car tyres were filled with CO2, would this cut atmospheric carbon significantly?

31 August 2026 at 16:00

The long-running series in which readers answer other readers’ questions considers a change that might help the environment

This week’s question: Would equal pay create a better society?

If all the vehicles on the planet had their tyres pumped up with CO2, would this lock up enough carbon to lower the amount in the air significantly? Would there be other issues, such as the carbon cost of trapping it all into the tyres? Chris Coldwell, Lancaster

Send new questions to nq@theguardian.com.

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© Photograph: Westend61/Getty Images

© Photograph: Westend61/Getty Images

© Photograph: Westend61/Getty Images

‘Breakthrough’ as Turkmenistan starts fixing ‘mindboggling’ methane mega-leaks

Secretive state begins repairs on ageing facilities after being revealed as worst country for leaks of potent greenhouse gas

Turkmenistan has started plugging the mega-leaks of methane that spew from its ageing oil and gas facilities, the latest UN data shows, in a move hailed as a breakthrough.

Methane, also called natural or fossil gas, is a potent greenhouse gas. It traps 80 times more heat than carbon dioxide and causes 25% of global heating today. Stopping leaks can be quick and cheap and, because methane breaks down in the atmosphere far quicker than CO2, this has a rapid impact, with some experts calling it the climate “emergency brake”.

Continue reading...

© Photograph: David Goldman/AP

© Photograph: David Goldman/AP

© Photograph: David Goldman/AP

‘Breakthrough’ as Turkmenistan starts fixing ‘mindboggling’ methane mega-leaks

Secretive state begins repairs on ageing facilities after being revealed as worst country for leaks of potent greenhouse gas

Turkmenistan has started plugging the mega-leaks of methane that spew from its ageing oil and gas facilities, the latest UN data shows, in a move hailed as a breakthrough.

Methane, also called natural or fossil gas, is a potent greenhouse gas. It traps 80 times more heat than carbon dioxide and causes 25% of global heating today. Stopping leaks can be quick and cheap and, because methane breaks down in the atmosphere far quicker than CO2, this has a rapid impact, with some experts calling it the climate “emergency brake”.

Continue reading...

© Photograph: David Goldman/AP

© Photograph: David Goldman/AP

© Photograph: David Goldman/AP

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