Takeaways

• Aspen-based Climate Curve will launch a new global methane award in February 2026, offering funding for solutions to agricultural methane emissions.
• The Climate Curve Prize: Methane aims to fast-track innovations that can curb one of the most potent greenhouse gases.
• Founder Jacquelyn Francis says cutting methane from food systems could act as an “emergency brake” on rising global temperatures.

Aspen-based nonprofit Climate Curve is preparing to launch a new global award that targets one of the world’s most urgent climate challenges: Rising methane emissions. The initiative, titled the Climate Curve Prize: Methane, will roll out in February 2026 and will distribute a total of $200,000 to eight promising innovators offering sustainable solutions to agricultural emissions.

Climate Curve, formerly known as The Global Warming Mitigation Project, was founded by Jacquelyn Francis in 2017 to support emerging climate entrepreneurs. Since then, the organization has awarded $2.75 million to 80 projects that later attracted more than $2.8 billion in investments. The new prize builds on that momentum, shifting attention to methane, a greenhouse gas far more heat-trapping than carbon dioxide.

Speaking to Aspen Public Radio, Francis said global methane levels are rising quickly, making rapid cuts critical. Reducing methane, she explained, could slow warming significantly. “It could be considered like an emergency brake on our global heating that's happening right now,” she said. “We’re basically falling into a volcano, and methane reduction can help slow our fall.”

Read More: Danone to Reduce its Methane Emissions

The upcoming award focuses on food systems, spanning the entire cycle “from soil to soil.” That includes agricultural practices, livestock feed, waste management, transport, and landfill operations. Francis highlighted several emerging approaches: Alternative cattle feed that improves digestion, vaccines that can cut livestock methane emissions by up to 85%, and efforts to cover landfills to capture methane for energy use.

For communities in places like Colorado’s Roaring Fork Valley, Francis said the prize has clear relevance. Local growers and ranchers could benefit from innovations that reduce emissions on farms or improve waste handling. “Agriculture and waste are all part of our food systems,” she noted. “ There are ways that you can actually grow your food differently that can produce less emissions.”

Climate Curve is already known for its flagship Keeling Curve Prize, which has supported standout companies such as LanzaTech, now publicly traded. The company produces materials and sustainable aviation fuel using captured carbon. Francis also pointed to nature-based winners like Canopy Planet, which promotes responsible sourcing across supply chains.

Also Read: Proba Raises €1M for Carbon Insetting, Agri-Food Decarbonisation

Despite the scale of the climate crisis, Francis remains optimistic. She believes methane reduction presents one of the most achievable climate opportunities. “And I think people don't understand that this is such an important issue that we can solve, and this is probably the one out of those four that is the most solvable by human ingenuity and momentum building. We can do this. We just have to put more money behind it and more awareness and take on the challenge, just like humans are able to do in a lot of other situations. This is a huge endeavor, but we can do it, and the opportunities around it are — they're just immense,” she said, comparing climate change to other global threats like nuclear warfare or pandemics.

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Source: Aspen PUBLICRADIO