A Methane Tracking Satellite Has Gone to Space

Because of climate change, temperatures across the globe are skyrocketing, and countries are experiencing unusual temperatures

A visual representation of Methane-SAT tracking methane leaks. Image provided by Bezos Earth Fund

Most people worldwide know the dangers of carbon dioxide (CO2). It pops into our heads when we think of climate change. Another greenhouse gas, methane, causes even more harm to the environment. Some methane emissions are intentional, while others are from leaks worldwide, resulting in more global warming. A new methane satellite is searching for these leaks to help fix the climate change problem.

What is methane, and where does it come from?

According to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), methane is a potent greenhouse gas that has been 80 times more environmentally harmful than CO2 over 20 years. Based on NASA’s research, methane only survives seven to 12 years in the atmosphere.

According to The Guardian, “leaks from fossil fuel exploration, production and transportation” account for 40% of human-caused methane. This figure rose by 50% between 2000 and 2019. Agriculture accounts for another 40 %, and the remaining 20% comes from rotting waste sites.

What can Methane-SAT do?

According to CNN, Methane-SAT can find and track methane emissions from all around the world. While many companies keep the data that they collect private, the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) promises that their data will be open to the public through Google Earth. Through this, governments and companies can act quickly, and global citizens can hold these companies accountable for stopping their methane emissions. 

According to another CNN video, back in 2021, EDF found out that companies are wasting gas that can heat around two million homes every year. Methane-SAT can help find those methane leaks and potentially use those gas emissions to fuel homes. Also, with the information from Methane-SAT in the future, many oil and gas companies can decrease methane emissions and make informed decisions on who they buy their gas from and where it comes from. This can have a truly positive impact on the climate.

What can we do?

When the EDF publishes all the information collected by Methane-SAT, people can push governments and companies to act as soon as possible so that humanity can slowly reverse the effects of climate change around the world.