28.03.24 - MethaneSAT: An Innovative Approach to Combat Global Methane Emissions

Methane is a powerful greenhouse gas responsible for about 30% of current global warming. Fossil fuel extraction is a major contributor to the presence of methane in the atmosphere. Governments around the world are increasingly pushing for stricter regulations to reduce leakage from oil and gas facilities. Reducing methane is a key near-term action to slow global warming, as emission reductions can be made effectively. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has called for methane emissions to be cut by at least 30% by 2030 to meet the goals of the Paris Agreement.

In this context, MethaneSAT, the satellite of the non-profit organisation Environmental Defense Fund (EDF), was launched in early March. Its on-board spectrometers are designed to detect and monitor methane sources around the globe with unprecedented precision. MethaneSAT can monitor both high-emission methane plumes and wider areas where the gases diffuse and spread providing a comprehensive view of the global methane emissions. EDF will analyse the data with the help of Google's image detection algorithms and infrastructure to quantify and map leaks. The results will be used to trace methane emissions back to their source and help identify those that contribute the most to emissions.

The data collected will be invaluable in helping energy companies, regulators and researchers to develop swift and effective measures to reduce emissions. In particular, EDF will use the global Methane Alert and Response System from the United Nations, which sends data on methane leaks to governments and policy-makers for action.

First data and images from the satellite are expected in early summer. This satellite joins several others forming a constellation for the operational monitoring of greenhouse gases around the world.

Hashtag#greenhousegases Hashtag#satellitemonitoring Hashtag#globalwarming Hashtag#methane Hashtag#MethaneSAT