Tech giant Google will partner with the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) to track methane emissions using the MethaneSAT satellite scheduled to take off into orbit on a SpaceX rocket next month.
This collaboration combines Google’s AI and mapping technology with data from the satellite to pinpoint greenhouse gas emissions.
The aim is to help governments and fossil fuel companies take more effective action to reduce emissions, aligning with targets for significant cuts by 2030.
According to a transcript from an online briefing with journalists, Steve Hamburg, chief scientist at EDF, said, “Our mission is about action and helping countries, companies, and communities track and reduce emissions faster while documenting their progress.”
“It is also about accountability, giving policymakers, investors and the public the unprecedented ability to see and compare those results,” Hamburg added.
Last year, the US, the European Union, and China announced efforts to increase monitoring and reporting of methane emissions to reduce them.
Over 150 nations have pledged to cut global methane releases by 30% by the end of this decade compared to 2020 levels as part of the Global Methane Pledge.
Additionally, 50 major oil and gas producers committed to significant methane emission reductions by 2030 at the COP28 climate summit.
Scientists at the EDF unit will utilize Google Cloud computing and storage to analyze MethaneSAT satellite data.
They aim to detect methane emissions and trace them back to their sources.
However, attributing emissions to specific infrastructure and companies remains challenging due to undisclosed ownership and equipment types.
