THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES OF SCIENCES, ENGINEERING, AND MEDICINE
Division on Earth and Life Studies and Division on Engineering and Physical Sciences
Board on Atmospheric Sciences and Climate
Board on Chemical Sciences and Technology
and
Board on Engineering and Environmental Systems
Committee on Atmospheric Methane Removal: Development of a Research Agenda
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Congressional Briefing
Thursday, October 3, 2024 – 11:00 a.m.
via Zoom
on
A Research Agenda Toward Atmospheric Methane Removal
This new report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine is the first of a two-phase study to assess the need and potential for atmospheric methane removal. This report identifies priority research that should be addressed within 3-5 years so that a second-phase assessment could more robustly assess the technical, economic, and social viability of technologies to remove atmospheric methane at climate-relevant scales.
The research agenda presented in this report includes foundational research that would help us better understand atmospheric methane removal while also filling knowledge gaps in related fields, and systems research that seek to address what developing and/or deploying atmospheric methane removal at scale would entail. The report also assesses five atmospheric methane removal technologies that would accelerate the conversion of methane to a less radiatively potent form or physically remove methane from the atmosphere and store it elsewhere.