§ Mr. BerminghamTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) what initiatives he has under consideration for improving data collection and monitoring of the sources and sinks of methane gas in respect of the rate of increase of methane concentration in the air; and if he will make a statement;
(2) what initiatives he has under consideration to investigate reasons for the rate of increase of nitrous oxide in the atmosphere; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mrs. Virginia Bottomley[holding answer 13 March 1989]: Inventories and assessments of atmospheric concentrations of methane and nitros oxide are in hand under the DOE's research programme as part of the 320W NASA global atmospheric gases experiment. The results will be available for the work of the UNEP/WMO intergovernmental panel on climate change. The chemical sinks of methane are also being studied under DOE's research programme.