Dive Brief:
- GHGSat, the satellite methane monitoring company based in Canada, launched two new satellites to enhance its capabilities last week, the company announced. The company now has 16 satellites orbiting the earth and taking measurement of industrial facilities for greenhouse gas emission leaks.
- The launch coincided with COP30, the annual international climate conference. In recent years, the use of satellites to monitor methane emissions has emerged as a strategy to limit the release of the greenhouse gas into the atmosphere.
- The United Nations is among several international groups expanding the world’s methane monitoring capabilities and supporting countries’ ability to reduce methane released by organic waste in landfills.
Dive Insight:
GHGSat pitches its satellites as uniquely capable of providing frequent, accurate detection of methane plumes, allowing clients like landfill operators to identify leaks and gauge efforts to address them. The company has been launching satellites for roughly a decade and remains one of the largest fleets dedicated to methane monitoring in the world.
Other groups have also launched satellites to monitor methane, such as Carbon Mapper's Tanager satellite. Another effort led by MethaneSat collected a year's worth of data, but researchers lost contact with the satellite over the summer.
This technology has been used to keep a close eye on oil and gas industry operations, but it's also increasingly being used for landfills. Earlier this year, GHGSat released a report finding that landfill operators are likely undercounting their emissions as plumes of escaped methane gas go undetected. The company also observed that methane leaks coming from waste sector facilities were larger and more persistent than leaks coming from oil and gas facilities.
Regulators are beginning to take notice of satellites' ability to detect and monitor those plumes. California is now collaborating with Carbon Mapper for an ongoing satellite monitoring program. Regulators there recently approved an updated landfill emissions rule that would require operators to address leaks detected by third-party monitoring efforts, including satellites. Colorado regulators are also weighing a similar requirement.
The technology is receiving attention on the international stage as well. The Global Methane Status Report, released by the UN Environment Programme ahead of COP30, determined that the global waste sector is responsible for 20% of all anthropogenic methane emissions. To identify and help address that pollution, UNEP's International Methane Emissions Observatory detailed plans to use satellites to monitor continuous sources of methane emissions like landfills next year. It’s planning to provide quarterly updates that detail the specific origin of emissions, number of detections over time for each source and estimated emission rates.
The United States was one of more than 30 countries to sign the Global Methane Pledge in 2021, a commitment to reduce overall methane emissions by 30% below 2020 levels by 2030. The U.S. did not attend this year's COP30, but other signatories and key stakeholders of the pledge met. They announced $278 million in new funding to support methane reduction efforts, including $100 million from Bloomberg Philanthropies for methane detection and response.
The Global Methane Hub also announced a new plan to cut 30% of methane emissions from organic waste by 2030. The No Organic Waste Initiative is backed by an initial $30 million commitment and focuses on local solutions to recovering surplus food.
“The momentum at COP30 around methane action is encouraging, but momentum only matters if it translates into measurable emissions reductions. That's where our satellites come in: turning pledges into verifiable results,” GHGSat CEO Stephane Germain said in a statement announcing the satellite launch last week.
The launch brings GHGSat closer to its goal of adding nine satellites to its fleet by the end of 2026. The company said it’s responding to “surging demand” from clients like ExxonMobil, Aramco, the UK Space Agency and UN organizations.
