When climate scientists talk about lowering greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, they typically distinguish between two strategies: mitigation and removal. They sound similar, but they address different parts of the problem.

Methane makes that distinction especially important.

Over a 20-year timeframe, methane traps roughly 80 times more heat than carbon dioxide. It is one of the most powerful drivers of near-term warming, and cutting methane concentrations quickly is essential if we want to slow temperature rise and limit climate impacts.

So what exactly is the difference between mitigation and removal?

Think of a bathtub with a running faucet and a clogged drain. Mitigation is turning down — or reducing — the flow. Removal is draining the water that has already accumulated. If the bathroom is flooding, you need both. And right now, our atmosphere has far too much methane.

Methane Mitigation: Stopping Emissions Before They Happen

Methane mitigation focuses on preventing additional methane from entering the atmosphere. That includes addressing leaks from oil and gas operations, improving landfill management, reducing emissions from agriculture, and tightening infrastructure across the energy system.

Preventing emissions at the source is the most direct and cost-effective way to limit methane’s climate impact. Every molecule that never enters the atmosphere avoids decades of warming potential.

Methane Removal: Reducing Methane That’s Already There

But mitigation alone does not solve the entire problem.

Today, the atmosphere contains more than 4 gigatons of excess methane compared to pre-industrial levels. Even if every leak were sealed immediately, that accumulated methane would continue to warm the planet for years.

That is where methane removal comes in. Removal strategies target methane that has already been emitted, breaking it down so it no longer contributes to warming.

We’re Working on Both

Bennu technology destroys methane molecules wherever they are. Once broken apart, they no longer exist as methane. We do this within exhaust streams that may contain methane to prevent any methane from emerging. We can also do this with any air source – anywhere – to remove whatever methane it may contain. 

In everyday language, that sounds like “removal.” In climate terminology, however, the definitions are more precise. When methane is eliminated shortly after release — for example, at a concentrated emission source — it is often categorized as reduction or “post-emission mitigation.”

The terminology can get technical. The mission is straightforward. Whether described as mitigation, reduction, or post-emission control, the result is the same: less methane in the atmosphere.