Methane (CH₄) is a powerful greenhouse gas that is primarily emitted from animal agriculture, energy production, and landfills. Although it lives in the atmosphere for a shorter time than carbon dioxide, its global warming potential is significantly more impactful. Methane is also the primary contributor of ground-level ozone, a greenhouse gas and air pollutant that causes 1+ million premature deaths every year and millions more chronic diseases. 

EGD researchers lead a project that is part of a global effort to slash methane emissions by 30% within this decade. Led by Berkeley Lab, with partners at Pacific Gas and Electric, California Resources Corporation, California Air Resources Board, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the project’s goal is to design a framework for fast, accurate methane emissions identification and monitoring in California’s Southern San Joaquin Valley, a high-emissions hotspot, and then expand it statewide.