The When, Where, Who, and Why of Methane Emissions

Hi there,

Welcome to the 16th edition of our newsletter, The Overview: A biweekly dispatch on the world of methane and other super pollutants.

This newsletter was crafted using data visualizations from Visualizing Energy.

If you’re unfamiliar with Visualizing Energy, it’s a data analysis, visualization, and media project born out of the Institute for Global Sustainability at Boston University. Directed by Dr. Cutler J. Cleveland, Visualizing Energy produces data-driven analyses and stories that crystallize dynamics inherent to the energy transition and climate change. All visualizations used in this newsletter were created by Visualizing Energy and are used with their permission. We highly recommend signing up for their newsletter for more visualizations and content, as you will see featured below.

The top line

Today, we’ll leverage their visualizations to provide new ways of breaking down the when, where, who, and why of human-caused methane emissions and how to use this data for action. If you’re curious about the “what,” you can refer to our past writing on why methane emissions matter here and here.

Reducing methane emissions is one of the best ways to slow global warming now, but historically, it has been a resource-constrained sector receiving less than 2% of all climate finance. With this in mind, where do we begin to put this capital and attention to yield the big climate impact that we truly need? This is where data can help.

The When: Methane emissions are rising faster than ever before

Methane emissions–60% of which are ‘human-caused’–have risen since the Industrial Revolution and keep hitting record highs. Atmospheric methane concentrations have more than doubled since the Industrial Revolution (at a faster rate on a percentage growth basis than carbon dioxide). Human-caused methane emissions have grown globally and cross-sectorally over the past five decades. Some sectors more than others, like fugitive emissions from oil and gas, due to advanced technologies to detect leaks and industry standards to mitigate them. 

The Where: The sectors emitting the most methane

The simplest way to break down human-caused methane emissions sources is into three sectors: Agriculture (animals and farming), energy, and waste (landfills and wastewater treatment). 

Agriculture—led by enteric fermentation (cow and other ruminant animal burps) dominates, though energy and waste are no slouches.

The Who: The biggest global emitters

Within these three sectors, where in the world are the emissions actually coming from? The darker shades of blue in the below pinpoint methane emissions “hotspots,” which often also map to countries that produce and use a lot of energy or have significant agricultural industries, such as the United States, China, India, Brazil, and Russia. 

The darker shades of blue in the map pinpoint methane emissions “hotspots,” countries that produce and use a lot of energy or have significant agricultural industries, such as the United States, China, India, Brazil, and Russia. Visualized differently below:

From there, we can add the numbers…

…and then build sectors by country back in to arrive at novel insights concerning how countries can have dramatically different ‘compositions’ of sector-specific methane emissions sources. The below compares the share of human-caused methane emissions in 2022 by sector for the five highest emitting countries.

Why does this matter? It illustrates that mitigating methane emissions is not a one-size-fits-all challenge at the national level. In Brazil? There are 200 million cows, which burp out a lot of methane to regulate their digestive system. In Russia? Methane emissions predominantly stem from the oil and gas sector—Russia has and is well (if not predominantly)-known for its oil and gas.

The Why: Methane emissions are a global challenge, not just a U.S. problem

The data highlights that methane emissions are rising at an alarming rate, with anthropogenic sources responsible for 60% of the increase. The U.S. is a major contributor, but it is far from the sole culprit – China, India, Brazil, and Russia also play significant roles. Moreover, methane emissions arise from different sectors depending on the country.

• Agriculture dominates in Brazil due to enteric fermentation from cattle.

• Energy is the primary source in Russia, with fugitive emissions from oil and gas operations.

• Waste contributes significantly in urbanized and industrialized nations.

This variation underscores that a one-size-fits-all mitigation strategy won’t work. Effective solutions must be tailored to each country’s primary sources of methane emissions.

The bottom line: A global approach to methane mitigation

1) Technology developed in the U.S. must have a global focus: While the U.S. is leading in methane detection and reduction technologies, these innovations must be designed for scalable global implementation. This means:

• Developing cost-effective solutions for lower-income nations

• Ensuring that regulatory frameworks in other countries can adopt U.S.-developed technology easily

• Encouraging public-private partnerships to fund and distribute these technologies worldwide

2) Shifting methane mitigation beyond U.S. borders: Global methane reduction strategies should integrate:

• International funding and incentives to support methane capture in developing nations

• Sector-specific solutions, like methane inhibitors for livestock in Brazil or stricter oil and gas leak detection in Russia

• Policy cooperation, where major emitters align regulations to prevent methane leakage

3) Messaging and investment matter: Methane mitigation receives less than 2% of climate finance despite contributing to 30% of global warming. Stronger data-driven storytelling is needed to:

• Increase public awareness and political will for methane action

• Drive investment in methane reduction technologies across all sectors

• Create global commitments similar to carbon reduction targets, ensuring methane is prioritized in climate agreements

Final thought

Methane mitigation is one of the fastest ways to slow climate change, and while the U.S. plays a key role, real progress requires a global and collaborative effort. The solutions exist, and we’ve covered them extensively. We now need the strategy, investment, and political will to scale them globally and quickly.

Elsewhere in the methane world: More to explore

On the bright side: While the future of policy surrounding methane mitigation efforts in the U.S. is uncertain in the short term, companies are making significant strides to advance solutions. Last week, Xplorobot received EPA approval for its Laser Gas Imager, which can now be used as an alternative test method (ATM) for methane inspections for the oil and gas sector. It’s the first company to receive approval for a handheld mobile methane detection device.

Later-stage venture funding rounds: Multiple companies recently raised venture capital funding rounds for methane mitigation. Hycamite, based out of Finland, raised ~$44.9 million in Series A funding to split methane to make lower-carbon hydrogen for industrial decarbonization and produce other carbon-based products. H2SITE, based out of Spain, raised ~$37 million in Series B funding to enable on-site hydrogen production and purification via advanced membrane reactors that convert feedstock like methane or ammonia into hydrogen.

We hope you find these visualizations useful, use them for your own purposes, and share them with others. As Dr. Cleveland graciously relayed to us, “That’s what we [Visualizing Energy] want!”

— This newsletter is brought to you by Lauren Singer and Nick van Osdol