Methane gas hydrate is a solid combination of methane and ice. It is found under continental shelves and on land under permafrost and can contain from 80-99.9% of methane. Estimated reserves are said to be twice the combined total of known global reserves of oil, gas and coal put together, offering enough fuel for the world for 'thousands of years'. Burning the methane will produce carbon dioxide, but methane itself is a greenhouse gas many times worse than carbon dioxide. Since methane is already being released into the atmosphere as global warming melts permafrost, then it might be better to burn the methane rather than let it escape into the atmosphere. However, there are many technical issues associated with recovering the hydrate, including risks to the atmosphere through accidental escapes and weakening of seafloor sediments leading to underwater mudslides.
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