Understanding methane sources is the first step in identifying high-quality mitigation solutions.
Methane emissions come from hundreds of source types—from cracked landfill covers and leaking gas wells to flooded rice paddies. Each source has distinct characteristics, and understanding these differences is critical to matching each source with the right mitigation solution.
Our approach to source identification
The data visualization below breaks out specific emissions sources, moving from a broad sector level to a specific source, such as enteric methane emitted from cows in an open field or leaks from infrastructure in a waste-to-energy facility. We quantify emissions sources on the subcategory level based on best-available scientific literature. These sources are then characterized based on the concentration of methane emitted; whether the source is a point source, area source, or diffuse; and whether the source is a fugitive leak from existing infrastructure.
Five levels of methane source identification
Dig on the different levels
Click on the different levels to see the definitions, and hover one for a short description of what that level contains.
Understanding global methane emissions
Global methane emissions — sources
Check out the data by clicking into the pie chart below.
Filter by source origin
Anthropogenic sources are produced by human activity — livestock, rice, oil and gas, coal, landfills, wastewater. Natural sources emit without human intervention: wetlands, inland freshwaters, geological seeps, termites.
Methane emissions estimates are based on Global Methane Budget 2000-2020 (Saunois, M. et al. 2025), the IEA Global Methane Tracker (International Energy Agency, 2026), and other peer-reviewed publications. All these data is classified and summarized in the back-end on the Methane Source and Solutions database (under-construction).
What each ring opens
Clicking a slice opens a panel on the right. Each ring opens a different level of the database, and each level carries a different set of fields.
Inner ringSector
The five sectors. Opening one breaks the sector down into the categories it contains.
In the popup
Sector total in Mt CH₄/yPie of its categories by sizeEach category with its own totalSubcategories nested under each categoryWritten definition of every category
Middle ringCategory
The sixteen categories — the emitting system itself, such as livestock, oil & gas or wetlands.
In the popup
Category total in Mt CH₄/y and CO₂eAnthropogenic or natural tagWritten definitionPie of its subcategoriesEach subcategory with figure and definition
Outer ringSubcategory
The level the database quantifies, and the route down to individual release points and their solutions.
In the popup
Mt CH₄/y, CO₂e and share of globalPublished uncertainty range and source noteActivities, each with its definition and source countNamed emission sources with description and release characterMatched solutions on file
Different measurements, approaches, and models lead to varying quantifications.
Emissions inventories disagree. Bottom-up estimates are built from activity data and emission factors and can vary based on methodology, as well as data availability and quality. These estimations often diverge from satellite and aircraft measurements, which can cover larger areas but often miss small, distributed, and diffuse sources. Total methane emissions from subcategories are ballpark figures that are robust enough to understand the magnitude of emissions, but carry a great amount of uncertainty. These uncertainties can be viewed through the error bars in the graph below.
Estimation variability in global methane emissions
One bar per category: the bar is the reported central estimate, and the whisker through it the reported range. Oil & Gas and Coal carry no whisker due to the lack of uncertainty ranges in their quantification methods. Emissions from these sectors are often underestimated due to poor on-site monitoring and carry much uncertainty.
Looking ahead, we aim to match methane sources with the solutions best suited to address their unique characteristics.
For each emission source, we first characterize the source and understand how the emissions are generated and managed. We then identify solutions that could be applied today. These solutions may include improved practices, technologies, remediation approaches, or biological interventions. The matching process considers not only the characteristics of the emission source, but also the characteristics and requirements of each solution, allowing us to assess compatibility and feasibility.
Characterizing sources and solutions
Methane source
Characterizing an emission source
Each specific source is categorized into a sector, category, subcategory, and activity, and characterized by multiple factors, including:
Anthropogenic or naturalConcentrated, diffuse or variablePoint source, area source or dispersedWhether it is a fugitive leak
Methane solution
Characterizing solutions
Each solution is a specific practice, technology or process change, characterized by multiple factors including the following:
What it physically does to the methaneWhich release characters it can addressAbatement potentialTechnologies, companies and initiatives behind it
The Carbon Containment Lab is building a tool that matches methane emission sources with potential solutions
Eventually, the CC Lab’s Methane Opportunity Analysis Tool will match emission sources with specific technologies based not only on where those technologies have previously been deployed, but also on how the characteristics of each source align with a technology’s function and requirements. The tool will help identify economic potential, highlight companies and initiatives already active in the space, and pinpoint where regulation could help accelerate impact.
This work is in progress. Figures, characterizations, and matched solutions are still under review. We are building an interactive interface where these visualizations and the underlying data can be explored directly. Access to the full database will follow as the work develops.
