Super pollutant news: The latest across all sectors

leHi there,

For today’s newsletter, I’ll syndicate a post from the publication, superpollute, which I write with Lauren Singer. For this edition, we recapped the most important super pollutant stories from the past quarter across measurement, agriculture, oil, gas, and coal, waste, and natural sources. Hope you enjoy, and be sure to sign up for superpollute here.

Measurement

1. So long, satellites?

TLDR: After a disappointing summer that saw the loss of contact with MethaneSAT–, a nonprofit-led satellite mission designed to detect, measure, and map methane emissions that cost ~$88 million to build, launch, and commission–, the satellite deployment space for methane monitoring has recovered momentum in recent weeks and months.

Why it matters: Satellite monitoring capabilities are critical because they’ve already proven useful in tracking methane emissions from sectors like oil and gas. Even in the absence of regulatory factors pricing or punishing companies or other stakeholders for above-average emissions in sectors like these, having the data is an essential baseline for enhanced accountability and to inform regulatory policies of the future.

The nuance: Further, even missions like Methane SAT, which ended well before expected, helped move the needle. While contact with the satellite was lost after a little over a year of operation, not all was lost, as noted by scientists behind the satellite:

The bright side: Bloomberg Philanthropies announced a “new $100 million investment that will create ‘Methane Response Basecamps’ and expand satellite constellation to find and fix leaks faster than ever before”!

Agriculture

2. Genetic selection in rice leads to lower methane without harming yield

TLDR: Researchers have found that by selecting specific genetic traits in rice, namely those that steer the plant’s energy toward grain rather than roots, methane emissions from rice paddy fields can be significantly reduced without sacrificing yield.

Why it matters: Rice paddies are a significant source of anthropogenic methane, contributing 10%+ of global human-generated methane emissions due to anaerobic decomposition in flooded soils. Thus, a rice breeding approach that lowers methane output while maintaining high yields offers a climate win and an agricultural sustainability win, especially for regions where rice is both a dietary staple and a large emitter of greenhouse gases, like Asia.

The nuance: The genetic mechanism involves reducing the allocation of photosynthate (plant-produced sugars) to roots, which are a major conduit for carbon exudation into anaerobic soil zones where methane-producing microbes thrive, and instead increasing allocation to grains. While the results are promising, most of the work to date has been under controlled or limited field settings; scaling this into the vast diversity of rice-growing environments (varied soils, water regimes, local varieties) introduces complexity. Additionally, genetic selection is just one lever; other factors, like water management, organic matter inputs, and microbial communities, also strongly affect methane fluxes.

The bright side: Capital is coming in. The Global Methane Hub has committed $30M to find new ways to reduce rice emissions with hopes of raising upwards of $100M in philanthropic and private sector funding.

3. Danone: cutting methane in African Dairy

TLDR: ​​Danone is embedding methane-reduction goals into its African dairy procurement strategy, aiming for a 30% cut in methane emissions from fresh milk by 2030. They have already reported a 25.3% reduction from its 2020 baseline and are working with technologies such as biodigesters with partner Sistema.bio for 6,500 smallholder farmers by 2030.

Why it matters: Dairy-related emissions are a significant part of Danone’s footprint, with fresh milk accounting for around 70% of its dairy-linked emissions. By positioning procurement as a climate lever, Danone is trying to influence supply-chain behavior (farmer practices, technology adoption, data tracking) rather than simply buying milk. This means the strategy can deliver climate benefits (reduced methane), social benefits (supporting smallholder farmers and increasing their incomes), and business benefits (securing a more resilient and sustainable supply chain).

The nuance: While Danone’s progress (a 25.3% reduction as of 2024) is notable, the target of 30% by 2030 still presents a challenge ahead. Much of the action happens in African markets (Morocco, Nigeria) where smallholder dairy systems dominate. These systems face infrastructure, data-tracking, and investment hurdles (cold chains, digital tools, farmer training) that Danone is investing in. Also, the procurement-led approach means Danone must ensure that supplier contracts, technologies (like biodigesters), farmer training, and measurements work across diverse regions and farm models; what works in one country may not translate directly elsewhere.

4. Banas Dairy commits to 30% methane emissions reductions from 3M cattle in Asia

TLDR: Banas Dairy, one of Asia’s largest dairy cooperatives, has launched the “Banas Methane Management Program” (BMMP) in partnership with eVerse.AI. The initiative aims to reduce methane emissions from its herd of approximately three million cattle by up to 30% annually. The program will deploy digital measurement, reporting and verification (MRV) tools, plant-derived feed additives, and ration balancing to achieve emissions cuts while also endeavoring to improve milk yields by an estimated 10–12%.

Why it matters: Methane from livestock is a major climate driver in India, where cattle and buffalo account for a substantial fraction of global livestock emissions. By committing to a large-scale emissions reduction across millions of animals, Banas Dairy is taking a landmark step in making dairy production part of the climate solution rather than the problem. The dual focus on emissions and productivity means that farmer incomes and milk output are potentially improved simultaneously, aligning environmental and economic incentives.

The nuance: While the target of a 30% cut is ambitious and the technologies, digital MRV, feed additives, ration balancing, are promising, several challenges remain.

1. First, the actual baseline emissions and how the cut will be measured across millions of animals require robust systems to ensure credibility.

2. Second, achieving the cited improvements in milk yield (10–12%) will depend on several local factors, including animal health, feed quality, infrastructure, and farmer adoption.

3. Third, although reducing enteric methane is central, dairy emissions also encompass indirect impacts from manure, energy use, land, and feed; focusing narrowly on one aspect of the system may overlook other emissions.

4. Finally, scaling this type of program across diverse farm sizes and conditions (smallholders versus larger farms) will test the depth of training, access to technology, cost-sharing, and monitoring.

Oil, gas, and coal

TLDR: As alluded to earlier in this newsletter when we discussed how methane monitoring satellites have shown that, if anything, global methane emissions from oil and gas are getting worse, or, at minimum, aren’t improving and declining anywhere near rapidly enough, well, that’s a refrain that’s been echoed by the UN and others in the run up to COP30. Specifically, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)’s International Methane Observatory (IMEO) annual report noted that 90% of the alerts UNEP flagged to key stakeholders based on satellite-detected emission events remain unanswered.

Historically, these numbers have been even worse, so some progress has been made, for sure. But it’s a far cry from the level of action that would be required to meet meaningful emissions reduction targets, like 30% by 2030. Nor are all methane emissions sourced from oil and gas confined to new leaks or even to infrastructure where there’s an operating owner; orphaned wells come to mind as a counterfactual. Similarly, areas of future expansion, such as hydrogen, risk undermining future efforts to mitigate super pollutants if they’re not tightly monitored and controlled.

Why this matters: Beyond the environmental and atmospheric impact, we are starting to see more economic and private sector concerns regarding methane emissions in the oil and gas sector. Something that really stood out to us last quarter was a report from Bloomberg that highlighted how a major oil and gas acquisition might have broken down due to a massive methane leak, among other factors. The almost $19 billion offer for Adnoc, an Abu Dhabi National Oil Company, to acquire Santos, an Australian oil and gas exploration and production company, was withdrawn amidst increased scrutiny of other regulatory factors and a methane leak at a Santos LNG plant in Darwin, Australia. Clearly, even if the first prerogative isn’t the environment at large, some of the world’s largest oil and gas companies know that the future business environment depends on cleaning up their operations.

The nuance: Integrating both of the above perspectives, namely that in many places, methane mitigation in oil and gas isn’t progressing quickly enough and the fact that major oil and gas players acknowledge that methane emissions matter and even make significant business decisions with that perspective in mind, it’s worth noting that there is evidence of real progress in some jurisdictions, such as in the Permian in the U.S. Per a recent S&P report:

All that’s to say, with a global public and private sector environment where key stakeholders know methane emissions matter and where they have access to the requisite tech to monitor and mitigate oil and gas methane emissions, there’s no excuse going forward not to do so.

Waste

5. California proposes new regulations to prevent landfill fires

TLDR: California’s air regulators are proposing stricter rules to monitor and manage gas-collection systems at landfills, aiming to curb methane leaks, overheating, and fires.

Why it matters: Landfill fires release toxic smoke and potent greenhouse gases, such as methane, which worsen air quality and exacerbate climate impacts. The move supports California’s broader climate goals while addressing growing community concerns over health and safety.

The nuance: The new regulations go beyond emission limits, requiring more frequent inspections and faster responses to changing landfill conditions. While the rules could significantly reduce environmental and safety risks, they may also raise compliance costs and operational challenges for landfill operators, especially at older sites. There’s a long road ahead for methane policy in the waste sector, as only ~10% of states have active landfill methane policies.

6. Wastewater plants emit more methane and Nitrous Oxide than we thought, drones show

TLDR: A study using drones equipped with gas sensors found that wastewater treatment plants with anaerobic digestion are emitting methane (CH₄) and nitrous oxide (N₂O) at rates 2.9 to 6.3 times higher than previously estimated. Sludge-storage areas alone can account for up to 78% of a facility’s methane output.

Why it matters: These gases are potent greenhouse gases: methane is many times more effective than CO₂ in the short term (84x over 20 years), and nitrous oxide has a very high global-warming potential as well (273x over 20 years). Under-estimating emissions from wastewater treatment undermines climate-policy efforts and obscures the true environmental impact of what is often considered a ‘green’ process (energy recovery through biogas). The findings suggest major gaps in current emissions inventories and could push the wastewater sector into tighter scrutiny and regulation. We’re all for that!

The nuance: While the results are striking, they come from specific facilities (13 plants) using advanced drone measurement rather than traditional emission-factor models, so they may not yet accurately reflect the emissions of every plant globally. The elevated emissions were especially associated with sludge piles (and particularly younger sludge piles) and warmer temperatures (>5 °C), indicating that the findings may vary significantly by region, climate, and operational practice.

Also, because most inventories rely on standardized factors that don’t account for site-specific conditions like sludge age, pile exposure, and thermal conditions, this study highlights that emission mitigation will need more than just generic rules; it will require plant-by-plant measurement, upgraded monitoring technology, and proactive management of sludge storage and handling.

Natural sources (non-anthropogenic):

TLDR: Both with respect to super pollutant emissions and general concerns over cascading climate risks, the past month plus has seen a lot of headlines with respect to tipping points, such as reservoirs of methane that could and already are getting unlocked by warming seas, melting glaciers, and thawing permafrost. For instance, scientists recently discovered over 40 active methane seeps in Antarctica’s Ross Sea, with many appearing newly at previously studied sites, suggesting new formation. Similarly, thawing permafrost in regions like Alaska could accelerate global methane emissions while also posing immediate risks to locals.

On the bright side, other scientists have also made progress studying methanotrophic bacteria, i.e., bacteria that consume rather than produce methane, in natural ecosystems recently. Specifically, scientists have been studying methanotrophic microbes that already feast on methane plumes emanating from the ocean floor (we suggest taking a look at this multimedia post from the New York Times, as it includes lots of great videos and photography).

Why it matters: Across both examples, perhaps the biggest concern is accelerated warming, as excess methane emissions could warm the world even more quickly than it already is, generating self-reinforcing feedback loops that unlock even more methane emissions. All the more reason to prioritize near-term methane and other super pollutant emissions reductions, as there’s much less time lag between how quickly super pollutant mitigation actually reduces near-term warming versus carbon dioxide mitigation (the former is a “flow” challenge, the latter is a “stock” challenge).

The nuance: Perhaps methanotrophic bacteria can help stem the rising flow of methane from natural emission sources, or could even be engineered to tackle methane emissions in diverse environments. Indeed, companies like Windfall Bio are already experimenting with using methanotrophs to manage methane emissions from agricultural and waste-focused sites, producing valuable byproducts in the process. But there’s no reason to choose one or the other approach here; ideally, new and elegant solutions leveraging methanotrophs will join other novel, innovation-focused categories, like methane removal, in coming years to boost the impact driven by all other pathways for super pollutant mitigation.

Across measurement, agriculture, waste, and energy, methane has shifted from a background issue to a defining test of near-term climate action. This quarter’s stories highlight both progress and friction: the loss (and additional) of satellites and rising investment in data infrastructure, new science revealing higher emissions from wastewater and lower ones from re-engineered rice, and regulators tightening rules on landfills, all while oil and gas companies still fall short of their pledges.

The thread tying it all together is momentum: scientific, corporate, and regulatory, but the gap between knowing what works and scaling it remains wide. Methane may finally have global attention; what happens next will show whether that attention translates into investment, addiction, and impact.

END OF YEAR EVENTS

Hoping to catch me, or, more importantly, lots of other really smart folks in sustainability, energy, and climate tech before the end of the year? The HackSummit returns to Newlab, New York, on December 10-11th, bringing together 500 founders, funders, and industry leaders in Climate Deep Tech. 

The themes this year include exploring abundance with open, sometimes heated conversations on topics ranging from on‑shore manufacturing, scaling clean energy infrastructure, post‑industrial food systems, to climate adaptation, and more. 

I’ll be there, as will founders and investors from the likes of Andreessen Horowitz, Brimstone, Crux, DCVC, Discipulus Ventures, Durin, Earth AI, Hertha Metals, Endolith, Rainmaker, Voyager Ventures, SOSV, and many more.

→ Use code KEEPCOOL to save 15% on your pass.

Hope the super pollutant content is useful and you share it with others. Don’t forget to subscribe to superpollute here as well. We put a lot of time, effort, and love into it.

— Nick & Lauren