## The Clathrate Gun Hypothesis

Climate scientists aren't terrified of humans burning oil. They are terrified of 'Tipping Points'. Northern Russia and Canada are covered in millions of square miles of Permafrost—frozen lakes that have trapped the rotting corpses of woolly mammoths and ancient plants for 50,000 years.

### FAQ

**Q: Why does the Earth warming by only 1.5°C cause an irreversible catastrophe?**
A: The Methane Feedback Loop. As the Earth warms slightly, the ice over Siberia melts. The billions of tons of ancient rotting plant matter underneath finally unfreezes, and bacteria eat it, burping pure Methane (CH4) into the air. Methane traps 80 times more heat than CO2. This traps more heat, which structurally melts even more permafrost, releasing even more methane, which traps even more heat. Even if every human on Earth stopped driving cars and turned off every power plant tomorrow, the heat already in the system has "pulled the trigger" on the Clathrate Gun, causing the Earth to brutally warm itself without our involvement.