Methane: A Uniquely Difficult Greenhouse Gas Mitigation problem

Discussions of greenhouse gas assessment and control are dominated by atmospheric carbon dioxide, but atmospheric methane poses problems of comparable scale and greater complexity. Net positive sources of anthropogenic carbon dioxide-fossil fuel combustion and manufacturing processes-are the result of deliberate human activity and therefore readily quantified. However, dominant sources of anthropogenic methane are unintentional, widely dispersed, and in some cases intermittent.

Robert L. Kleinberg (Center on Global Energy Policy at Columbia University and Institute for Sustainable Energy at Boston University) will offer an overview of 1) emissions of methane into the atmosphere from energy infrastructure, 2) estimates of their magnitudes, and 3) the challenges in finding and eliminating them. He'll also take a close look at present (2016) and proposed (2018) Environmental Protection Agency rules regulating emissions of vented and fugitive methane from energy infrastructure, and what changes can be implemented to make these regulations more effective and efficient.

Learn more about the speaker, event, & Energy Transition Speaker Series: bit.ly/methanetalk