Directions: You are required to match statements from

Solution

Solution Combined Sentence (A4T):  "Methane’s climate impacts are severe, accounting for around 30% of global warming since the pre-industrial era, and its atmospheric concentration is rising rapidly." The use of "since" establishes a timeline, indicating that methane’s contribution to global warming has been significant since the pre-industrial era. The sentence logically connects the fact that methane has been a critical factor in global warming for a long period, dating back to when industrial activities were minimal. This pairing effectively explains both the impact of methane on climate change and how its atmospheric concentration has been rising steadily over a long period. Combined Sentence (E3R):  "Crucially, on a 100-year timescale, methane has 28 times greater global warming potential than carbon dioxide and is 84 times more potent on a 20-year timescale; therefore, cutting methane is one of the most effective levers we have to slow near-term temperature rise and buy time for the longer-term CO2 reductions needed to stabilize climate change." The use of "therefore" indicates a cause-and-effect relationship between the high global warming potential of methane and the urgent need to reduce its emissions. The sentence logically argues that due to methane’s extreme potency as a greenhouse gas (even more than CO2 over certain timescales), reducing methane emissions would have a significant and immediate positive impact on controlling temperature rise. This pairing supports the idea that addressing methane emissions is critical in both near-term and long-term climate strategies. This combination is also logical and coherent. The other combinations fail to combine logically. Both A4T & E3R logically convey the relationships between methane’s impact, its historical context, and why reducing its emissions is necessary for climate stability. This makes Option D the correct answer.