Google’s Satellite Measures Methane Leaks
Google announced the launch of a satellite that would monitor methane leaks from oil and gas industries worldwide as part of a collaboration with the Environmental Defence Fund (EDF). Soon, MethaneSAT will orbit the planet to gather satellite data. This information, along with infrastructure mapping and Google AI, will improve our comprehension of how to reduce methane emissions.
The startup plans to have data mapped for public viewing by the end of the year, once the data is processed using algorithms driven by Google Cloud.
Methane is second only to carbon dioxide (CO2) in terms of total greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and it accounts for around 30% of global warming. Even though CO2 is mentioned more frequently and extensively, methane emission concerns shouldn’t be disregarded. In fact, the gas has a global warming potential that is 25 times greater than that of CO2 and is thought to be 84 times more effective at retaining heat over a two-decade period.
The amount of methane released into the atmosphere has been increasing worldwide; in 2021, atmospheric methane increased by 17 parts per billion, the highest amount since 1983. Researchers have also revealed that atmospheric methane concentrations are 162% greater than pre-industrial levels, which worries scientists.
With enteric fermentation and manure management accounting for around 32% of total emissions, agriculture is by far the largest source of anthropogenic methane emissions. Fossil fuel extraction, transportation, and pumping are major contributors as well, accounting for about 23% of global emissions.
What Do We Know About Google’s Satellite Launch?
MethaneSAT, a brand-new satellite designed to monitor methane emissions from the oil and gas sector, was launched in California. Although data on methane emissions is now being provided by the European Space Agency and another satellite-based tracker known as GHGSat, MethaneSAT will offer far more information and a considerably larger field of view.
Six years ago, the US-based non-governmental group Environmental Defence Fund made the initial announcement about the $88 million satellite. Elon Musk’s SpaceX company sent the satellite into orbit, and Google will provide the AI computational power required to compress enormous quantities of data generated by the orbiting methane monitor.
The satellite will keep an eye on regions that provide 80% of the natural gas used worldwide. The New York Times reports that the satellite is able to identify variations in gas concentrations in the atmosphere as little as three parts per billion.
MethaneSAT will travel more than 350 miles per day in an orbit around the planet. MethaneSAT is an extremely complex system that can monitor methane sources with substantial emissions as well as small sources dispersed over a large region.
In partnership with researchers at the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory, Harvard University’s School of Engineering and Applied Science, and its Centre for Astrophysics, EDF developed Google Cloud-powered algorithms to calculate methane emissions in specific locations and track those emissions over time.
International Progress That Led To Google’s MethaneSAT?
More than 100 nations pledged to reduce methane emissions by 30% by 2030 when they signed the Global Methane Pledge at the COP26 United Nations climate summit in 2021. Additionally, fresh initiatives to combat methane pollution were unveiled at the Dubai summit last year.
The US proposed new regulations to cut methane emissions from petrol and oil by about 80%, which warms the globe. The largest commitment came from fifty oil and gas firms that signed up to the Oil and Gas Decarbonisation Charter, which was sponsored by the COP28 president.
These businesses included industry heavyweights ExxonMobil, Saudi Aramco, Adnoc, ConocoPhillips, and BP. By doing this, they committed to ending regular natural gas flaring and reducing methane emissions to almost zero by 2030.
A multi-donor trust fund that will raise an initial US$250 million to assist developing countries in reducing CO2 and methane emissions from the oil and gas sector was also launched by the World Bank. In order to reduce methane emissions by up to 10 million tonnes, the Bank also stated that it plans to initiate at least 15 country-led initiatives over the course of the next 18 months.
Conclusion
Early in the next year, MethaneSAT’s data will be made publicly accessible, enabling environmental authorities or oil and gas corporations to locate and address leaks more quickly. Further, it is expected that this will make it easier for the public, investors, and elected officials to hold accountable parties for leaks by making it clearer to whom the leaks are related.
