The new MethaneSAT will track methane emissions from space

The Environmental Defense Fund, a US non-profit organization, is launching MethaneSAT, a satellite designed to track methane emissions from space. MethaneSAT will zip around Earth 15 times a day, orbiting at an altitude exceeding 560 kilometers.

MethaneSAT will collect methane readings, which will be analyzed by Google using artificial intelligence. This analysis will allow researchers to map the readings onto known oil and gas plants.

The data will then be published on Google’s Earth Engine research platform, making it freely available to anyone. This transparency will be crucial in identifying the sources of methane leaks.

The Environmental Defense Fund is not going it alone. Other partners including The New Zealand Space Agency and Harvard University are also collaborating on MethaneSAT. The first readings from this satellite are expected to be available later this year.

Limiting global warming to 1.5°C requires significant reductions in greenhouse gas emissions. Experts estimate that global emissions must decrease by around 7% annually until 2030 to achieve this goal. Unfortunately, the current trend is moving in the opposite direction, with emissions increasing by 1.5% per year.

MethaneSAT represents a new tool in the fight against climate change, offering valuable data to help us curb methane emissions and slow the pace of global warming.