IMechE is please to be a supporter for the Energy Institute forthcoming event concerning Methane Emissions. 
Carbon dioxide is the greenhouse gas most responsible for heating the planet. There is no substitute for eliminating fossil fuels and halting the release of CO2 into the atmosphere to avoid catastrophic climate change. However, CO2 is not the only greenhouse gas. Atmospheric methane, second only to CO2,  has contributed as much as 0.5 degree C of the 1.1 degree C in global warming since pre-industrial times.  
 
Methane is the main component of natural gas which has gained popularity as a relatively clean source of fossil fuel energy, with its use growing by over 50% in the last two decades. However, this has come at a cost to the climate as natural gas has helped to boost atmospheric methane concentrations to more than double pre-industrial levels. Although only comprising a tiny fraction of our atmosphere, methane has an outsized impact on climate as it is around 80 times more powerful than CO2 in trapping heat.  
 
Methane breaks down much faster than CO2 in the atmosphere, as it has an average lifetime of around a decade compared to centuries for CO2. Rapidly curbing methane emissions from all anthropogenic sources could provide short-term relief for rising global temperatures while governments & industry strive to meet net-zero carbon emission targets and transition to clean, renewable energy.

Following their co-authorship of a paper for the Energy Institute "New Energy World" on-line magazine, "Cutting methane emissions is the quickest and best way to avoid climate change",  we have invited Prof. Jeff Obbard and Tony Regan to give us their latest views on Methane Emissions.

Following their presentations, EI SEA MD and Singapore Chair Peter Godfrey FEI will host an "armchair" session with the speakers to explore the topic in greater detail and field challenging questions from the audience.