The conversation shifts to methane, which Ward identifies as a greenhouse gas far more potent than carbon dioxide. He references the 1982 Lake Nyos disaster, where a sudden gas release killed thousands, and discusses theories about large-scale methane burps from ocean floors triggering planetary catastrophes. He notes that methane levels near the spill site already measure a hundred thousand times above normal, raising alarm about potential ignition.
Ward also addresses climate change, citing his Antarctic fieldwork observing rapid glacier retreat and plant colonization of the peninsula. He emphasizes that June 2010 was the hottest month in recorded history and warns that even a three-foot sea level rise would reshape coastlines, flood airports, and cause economic damage dwarfing the housing crisis.
Key Moments
The blob on the Gulf floor: Ward says the heavy fractions of crude don't float - they're sitting as a Steve McQueen-style blob in the low-oxygen channels of the Gulf, and dive crews aren't looking in the right places.
Lake Nyos and a Black Sea methane scenario: Ward recalls Lake Nyos's 1986 carbon-dioxide burp killing 2,000 people, then cites Riskin's worst-case: a Black Sea methane release ignited by lightning could literally burn China off the map.
Ice-sheet record settles the debate: Ward argues climate skepticism is like denying gravity: the rock record shows that whenever atmospheric CO2 was high in deep time, continental ice sheets simply did not exist.
Bangladesh as the trigger: Ward maps a three-foot sea-level rise onto Bangladesh: salt creeping sideways destroys a third of agriculture while population grows by half, forcing 110 million refugees toward nuclear-armed India.
BP buying scientific silence: Ward says rupture reports near the wellhead are coming only from anonymous government sources and asks Art on-air what he's heard about BP buying up Gulf scientists with non-disclosure contracts.