What is methane? 

Methane (CH4) (the primary component of “natural gas”) is the second most important greenhouse gas after carbon dioxide.

Around 60% of global methane emissions come from human activities in three main sectors: energy production (oil, gas, and coal), agriculture (livestock and rice), and waste (landfill and waste water). Energy production accounts for about 35% of anthropogenic methane emissions, agriculture accounts for about 40%, and waste accounts for about 20%. 

Why is methane leakage prevention important?

Methane leaks from fossil fuel production, landfills, and livestock include emissions that are described as “super emitter events,” which have devastating ecological effects. While methane has a much shorter atmospheric lifetime than CO2 (around 12 years compared with one hundred years or more for CO2), it is a significantly more potent greenhouse gas, trapping eighty times more heat than CO2 over a 20 year period, which exacerbates the effects of climate change on our planet. Methane also negatively affects air quality because it is an ingredient in the formation of ground level (tropospheric) ozone, a dangerous air pollutant. Thus, monitoring methane leaks and formulating preventative methods is crucial to preserving the health of both the planet and all those who occupy it.

A growing need for methane prevention efforts: how satellites can help us curb methane leaks 

The United Nations Environmental Program (UNEP) has undertaken many initiatives to mitigate methane leaks. In October 2021, UNEP launched the International Methane Emissions Observatory (IMEO), which catalogs emissions for the three largest methane-emitting sectors in a public database, providing governments and companies access to empirically verified methane emissions. This data can be used to build efficient policies to address large methane leakages. 

In 2022, the UNEP launched the International Methane Alert and Response System, or MARS through its IMEO program, the first ever satellite-based detection system that notifies governments of major methane leaks from their fossil fuel infrastructure. IMEO breaks down satellite detection in four essential steps:  

1. IMEO uses global mapping satellites to identify very large methane plumes.
2. The emissions information is shared with governments and companies. Important information includes detailed information on their location, size, potential sources, and operators of the relevant facilities.
3. It is up to notified stakeholders to determine how best to respond to the notified emissions.
4. IMEO continues to track methane leakages around the world, repeating the process when large methane plumes are detected. Data and analyses are made public 45 to 75 days post detection on the MARS data portal.

There is still more work to be done 

While developing satellite technology has helped, Dr. Aganaba argues for greater collaboration between different levels of government and greater transparency. While many governments and companies have agreed to methane emission reduction pledges, they are rarely legally binding.  

Dr. Aganaba offers the following challenges and solutions. First, we need greater momentum at the federal level to get local and state actors to participate in satellite-based climate data collection. Second, there needs to be a standardization of data monitoring, collection, interpretation, and distribution in order for information to be verified and shared effectively, as this will enable better enforcement methods and compliance. Third, once what Dr. Aganaba refers to as a “national geospatial data infrastructure” is established, the international community must amend the space charters that dictate the current international geospatial data infrastructure. Dr. Aganaba stresses that this legal framework is crucial both to safeguard the environmental integrity of outer space and ensure that the mistakes made on earth are not repeated, both in terms of environmental exploitation and power sharing between developed and developing nations.  

Satellite data is not a panacea. Satellites can sometimes mistake clouds or other natural phenomena for methane leaks. These readings are not always reliable as they can be obstructed by clouds, dense forests, or snow, and do not provide information about how much methane is being leaked in a specific location. They do, however, provide a great deal of useful data and much greater transparency.  

Who is Dr. Timiebi Aganaba?

Dr. Timiebi Aganaba is an assistant professor at the School for the Future of Innovation in Society at Arizona State University, where she founded the ASU Space Governance Lab. She is also the Senior Global Futures Scientist at Global Futures Scientists and Scholars. Dr. Aganaba specializes in international environmental law, international space law and policy, geoengineering, and satellite technology. 

Further Reading 

• Aganaba-Jeanty, Timiebi & Huggings, Anna. Transnational Environmental Law, 2019  

“Satellite Measurement of GHG Emissions: Prospects for Enhancing Transparency and Answerability under International Law”, Transnational Environmental Law 2019  

• UNEP. 2022

How secretive methane leaks are driving climate change

• UNEP. 2023

Satellite Data to Methane Action: UNEP’s Methane Alert and Response System

• Clark, Aaron. Bloomberg, 2023.

The Climate Sleuth Uncovering Methane Leaks for the United Nations

For a transcript of this episode, please visit https://climatebreak.org/locating-methane-leaks-with-satellites-with-dr-timiebi-aganaba/.