Methane is a problem. As a potent greenhouse gas, methane warms the Earth 80-times more than CO2 per gram over a 20-year period. And unfortunately, methane concentrations are rapidly increasing. Despite efforts to reduce leaks and waste, emissions from human activities and natural sources, like melting permafrost and warming wetlands, are on the rise. Yet, methane may also offer a potential climate solution. With a much shorter half-life, reductions in methane emissions pack a punch. Thus, there is a growing consensus that targeting methane is the strongest lever we have to limit near-term warming and avoid
catastrophic tipping points. The question is…how?

This Town Talk will cover the potential to supercharge nature’s solution to methane mitigation. By combining highly efficient strains of methane-eating bacteria with advanced thin-film bioreactor design, scientists could unlock a revenue-generating greenhouse gas removal technology. The critical component is conversion of low-concentration methane waste streams into valuable products. This enables the power of the marketplace to drive deployment and scaling. The potential for this technology scale from lab to a new
green industry will be discussed, as will the potential impact of this industry on climate change in the 21st century.