Methane

Methane is our low-hanging fruit for major climate wins in this decisive decade. It’s over 80 times more potent than carbon dioxide over a twenty-year period, originates from few, readily identifiable sources, and represents one of our greatest opportunities to cut warming in the short term while we tackle more complex decarbonization challenges in the global economy.

RMI is working with a partner network of satellite and sensor operators to make methane emissions from the oil and gas and waste sectors visible in near real-time, and to use that visibility to define specific policies, industry operator actions, and market incentives to slash this super-potent greenhouse gas as one of the most attainable, cost-effective climate wins this decade.

Our Work

RMI is focused on cutting methane emissions from two key sectors: the oil and gas industry, and waste management. Combined, these sectors account for nearly half of global methane emissions and align with RMI’s expertise in leveraging industry intelligence, policy, and market incentives to strategically cut climate pollution across supply chains.

Cutting Oil and Gas Sector Methane Emissions

Methane is a greenhouse gas (GHG) that is over 80 times more potent than carbon dioxide over a 20-year time frame. While methane lasts only 12 years in the atmosphere, it does vast climate damage as soon as it is emitted.

Managing Methane in the Waste Sector

RMI is accelerating decarbonization in the waste sector through strategic collaborations and partnerships.

Emissions Visibility Tools

RMI has transformed raw data from methane detection satellites and sensors into interactive analytical tools that allow users to understand precisely where emissions are coming from in oil and gas industry operations and waste management practices. That level of transparency enables more targeted policy, industry strategies, and capital investment to mitigate methane emissions in line with a safer climate future.

OCI+

The OCI⁺ quantifies and compares greenhouse gas emissions intensities from global oil and gas assets. Use this web tool’s interactive features to see where GHGs are emitted and investigate ways to reduce life-cycle emissions intensity from production, refining and petrochemical processing, and gathering, storage, and transport, and end uses.

WasteMAP

The Waste Methane Assessment Platform, or WasteMAP, was created by RMI and Clean Air Task Force, with funding from the Global Methane Hub, to improve waste methane emissions transparency highlight mitigation opportunities and best practices to reduce solid waste methane emissions.