Methane hydrates - bigger than shale gas, "game over" for the environment?

Methane hydrate deposits could hold up to 15 times the amount of gas as the world's shale deposits. At the same time, they represent more carbon than all of the world's fossil fuels combined. So, it's no wonder that the response to recent announcements by the Japanese has been a bit mixed.Methane hydrates (a.k.a. methane clathrates or fire ice) are solid compounds where methane is literally trapped in water. The substance looks like ice and can be found deep on the ocean floor, locked under layers of sediments. [More]