Energy - Weighing the climate risks of an untapped fossil fuel

The worst-case scenario is that global warming triggers a decade-long release of hundreds of gigatons of methane. As the energy industry hungrily eyes methane hydrates, scientists ponder the fuel's impact on climate. When methane molecules become locked in atomic cages of water called clathrates, they form icy chunks that ignite when lit. These solids form wherever methane encounters water at high pressure and low temperature. These methane hydrates, when released into the atmosphere and water, cause drastic effects on the climate, that leads to global warming.