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Experts: Methane pollution

Wide shot of a landfill with smokestacks emitting smoke in the background
Image by Getty Images.
Published: 17 December 2025

The Canadian federal government has announced new measures to reduce methane pollution.  

The greenhouse gas, which is primarily emitted through fossil fuel extraction and by landfills, has 80 times the global warming potential of carbon dioxide. 
 
McGill experts are available to comment on this topic: 

Christopher Barrington-Leigh is an Associate Professor with the Department of Equity, Ethics and Policy, the Department of Economics and the Bieler School of the Environment. He can discuss climate economics, including the importance of policy commitments. 

chris.barrington-leigh [at] mcgill.ca (English, French) 
 
Mary Kang, Associate Professor of Civil Engineering and Canada Research Chair in Environmental Monitoring and Energy Transition (Tier 2), studies environmental impacts of energy systems. Her current projects involve field measurements of methane and air pollutant emissions, as well as analysis of emissions and energy infrastructure.  

mary.kang [at] mcgill.ca (English) 
 

Peter Douglas, Associate Professor and William Dawson Scholar with the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, can discuss methane's role as a greenhouse gas and its impact on warming, as well as methane emissions from landfills. He can also comment on our overall understanding of methane emissions sources, in Canada and globally. 

peter.douglas [at] mcgill.ca (English) 
 

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