noun · academic

methane

UK/ˈmɛθeɪn/US/ˈmeθeɪn/METH·ane

Band 6-7speakingtask2

a colorless, flammable gas (CH4), a major component of natural gas and a potent greenhouse gas

Examples

Methane emissions from livestock are a concern for climate scientists.

Leaks can release methane into the atmosphere.

Methane traps heat much more effectively than CO2 in the short term.

Band 8 sentence

Reducing methane leaks across the supply chain would yield rapid climate benefits within a few decades.

Collocations

  • methane emissions
  • methane leak
  • methane hydrate

Word family

methane nounmethanogenic adjective

Common mistakes

many methanemuch methane

methane gasesmethane

Say it for a higher band

5gas6natural gas7+methane

Synonyms

natural gas

Easily confused

natural gas

Natural gas is widely used for heating in the city.

Related words

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In Environment & Climate

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