Completed
Topics
Understanding, quantifying, and tracking atmospheric methane and emissions is essential for addressing concerns and informing decisions that affect the climate, economy, and human health and safety. Atmospheric methane is a potent greenhouse gas (GHG) that contributes to global warming. This report summarizes the current state of understanding of methane emissions sources and the measurement approaches and evaluates opportunities for methodological and inventory development improvements.
Featured publication
Consensus
·2018
Understanding, quantifying, and tracking atmospheric methane and emissions is essential for addressing concerns and informing decisions that affect the climate, economy, and human health and safety. Atmospheric methane is a potent greenhouse gas (GHG) that contributes to global warming. While carbon...
View details
Description
An ad hoc committee will examine approaches to measuring, monitoring, reporting, and developing inventories of anthropogenic emissions of methane to the atmosphere. The geographic scope of this study is limited to the U.S., although much of the committee’s report could be relevant internationally. Specifically, the committee will:
- discuss how methane emissions measurements, monitoring data, and inventories are used and usable for managing emissions, scientific research, and other purposes;
- assess scientific understanding with respect to published inventories of U.S. anthropogenic methane emissions, including estimates of current emissions, recent trends, and projections of future emissions;
- describe and evaluate approaches used to measure and monitor methane emissions;
- recommend how to report results of methane emissions studies to facilitate comparisons among studies and to ensure results are useful for policymaking;
- describe and evaluate approaches used to develop inventories of past, present and future methane emissions;
- recommend best available approaches for addressing key uncertainties, areas of incomplete understanding, and technical challenges in developing methane inventories; and
- recommend research needed to improve methane emissions measurement, monitoring, and inventory development.
Contributors
Committee
Chair
Member
Member
Member
Member
Member
Member
Member
Member
Member
Member
Member
Member
Member
Conflict of Interest Disclosure
Disclosure of Conflict of Interest: Fiji George
In accordance with Section 15 of the Federal Advisory Committee Act, the "Academy shall make its best efforts to ensure that no individual appointed to serve on [a] committee has a conflict of interest that is relevant to the functions to be performed, unless such conflict is promptly and publicly disclosed and the Academy determines that the conflict is unavoidable." A conflict of interest refers to an interest, ordinarily financial, of an individual that could be directly affected by the work of the committee. As specified in the Academy's policy and procedures (http://www.nationalacademies.org/coi/index.html), an objective determination is made for each provisionally appointed committee member whether or not a conflict of interest exists given the facts of the individual's financial and other interests and the task being undertaken by the committee. A determination of a conflict of interest for an individual is not an assessment of that individual's actual behavior or character or ability to act objectively despite the conflicting interest.
We have concluded that for this committee to accomplish the tasks for which it was established its membership must include among others, at least one member who possesses current expertise and on-the-ground knowledge of natural gas production, processing, and transmission, which is one significant source of anthropogenic methane emissions.
To meet the need for this expertise and experience, Fiji George is proposed for appointment to the committee even though we have concluded that he has a conflict of interest because of his employment with Southwestern Energy.
As stated in his bio, Fiji George’s current focus is on characterizing methane emissions from the natural gas value chain through collaborative research, and on developing innovative solutions to reduce methane emissions from the natural gas sector. He is also involved in designing and assessing methane reduction technologies and new measurement technologies. He has over twenty years of experience related to energy-environmental and sustainability issues spanning natural gas production, processing, and transmission. In his role at Southwestern Energy, Mr. George develops comprehensive methane emissions measurement programs, inventories, and protocols; and participates in scientific studies with academia, non-government organizations and other industry partners.
After an extensive search, we have been unable to identify another individual with the equivalent combination of industry experience and scientific expertise in methane measurement and inventories as Mr. Fiji who does not have a similar conflict of interest. Therefore, we have concluded that this potential conflict is unavoidable.
Sponsors
Department of Energy
EPA
NASA
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
National Science Foundation
Staff
Katherine C Thomas
Lead
Major units and sub-units
Center for Health, People, and Places
Lead
Division on Engineering and Physical Sciences
Lead
Division on Earth and Life Studies
Lead
Board on Energy and Environmental Systems
Lead
Board on Atmospheric Sciences and Climate
Lead
Board on Agriculture and Natural Resources
Lead
Board on Environmental Studies and Toxicology
Lead
Board on Earth Sciences and Resources
Lead
Earth Systems and Resources Program Area
Lead