Although much of the focus in talks about global warming is on carbon dioxide (CO₂), methane (CH₄) may be even more important in the near term. The reason methane is important is because it is much more effective than CO₂ at increasing warming. Even though it doesn’t last as long in the atmosphere. So while atmospheric CO₂ may be around for hundreds of years, methane is a powerful factor now. Here are some facts and suggested steps to combating global warming by reducing methane production.