IMEO designs, funds and leads scientific studies worldwide to understand and quantify how much methane is released into the atmosphere, where emissions come from, and how they change over time.
Study results, published only in peer-reviewed scientific journals, provide critical information for governments and companies to make informed decisions and take effective action to mitigate methane emissions.
IMEO has launched dozens of studies across nearly 20 countries. All are conducted by academic researchers and scientists. Additional information on each is available below and in the Eye on Methane data platform.
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Initial IMEO methane science studies have successfully filled key knowledge gaps, including by providing the first empirical studies of offshore oil and gas infrastructure and liquefied natural gas facilities, as well as research campaigns in regions lacking empirical data.
Now, a new generation of satellites and monitoring approaches that provide policy-relevant data is creating new opportunities. IMEO is evolving its scientific efforts to capitalize on these changes. While initial studies sought to obtain a basic understanding of emissions in regions without reliable data, moving forward, all studies will prioritize four main objectives.
- Advancing data integration approaches for multi-scale emissions data
- Validating measurement-based approaches
- Supporting data assurance and characterisation of regions and sources with high uncertainty or discrepancies in the integrated data
- Furthering science studies in support of countries targeting methane mitigation.
The current focus has been expanded from the oil and gas sectors to include other major emitting sources such as coal and waste. These studies build on prior work by UNEP in the framework of the Climate & Clean Air Coalition (CCAC).
IMEO invites proposals for further scientific studies. Procedures and details to submit a study concept are outlined below.
Procedure for short proposal evaluation
IMEO Methane Science Study Framework
Scientific Oversight Committee
The Scientific Oversight Committee guides and oversees IMEO's scientific activities, including, but not limited to, overseeing estimation methodologies, recommending necessary studies, and ensuring there are no significant data gaps across studies.
The Scientific Oversight Committee is composed of prominent methane scientists and complemented by data experts. Its Chair guides the evaluation, initiation, and coordination of proposals for direct measurement studies of methane emissions around the world to obtain policy-relevant science.
Currently, Scientific Oversight Committee members include:
- Steve Hamburg, Chief Scientist, Environmental Defense Fund (Chair)
- Andrea Hinwood, Chief Scientist, UN Environment Programme
- Lena Hoglund Isaksson, Senior Research Scholar, International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis
- Shamil Maksyutov, Expert, National Institute for Environmental Studies
- Euan Nisbet, Professor, Royal Holloway University of London
- Paul Wenneberg, Professor, California Institute of Technology
