• MethaneSAT spectrometers are now tracking methane emissions across North America as part of MethaneAIR, providing the first comprehensive picture of total emissions. 

• The new technology will go global aboard a satellite launching in early 2024, allowing EU and other fossil fuel importers to see and compare emissions from suppliers. 

The non-profit Environmental Defense Fund announced today that its subsidiary, MethaneSAT LLC, has deployed new methane measurement technology aboard a specially equipped jet aircraft to measure and track methane from oil and gas operations and other sectors across North America.  

Methane from fossil fuel operations, agriculture, and other industries causes roughly 30% of today’s global warming. Cutting these emissions is the fastest way to slow the rate of warming, while we continue the transition to cleaner energy sources. 

Data from MethaneAIR will provide detailed methane emissions data from a region of the world that supplies significant amounts of liquefied natural gas (LNG) to the European Union: In 2022, Europe became the primary destination for U.S. LNG exports with an all-time high of 420 million cubic meters per day.  

Aircraft measurements will inform and augment orbital data collection by MethaneSAT, a new satellite now in final testing and scheduled to launch aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket early next year. Data from both instruments will be available at no cost, enabling stakeholders worldwide to see and compare the results over time.  

Operating from local airports, flights will map and quantify emissions encompassing roughly 80% of U.S. onshore production. 

See MethaneAIR in action: Photos and Video 

Catalysing methane mitigation in the EU and beyond 

As the world’s largest importer of natural gas, it is vital that the EU takes leadership in global action to reduce methane pollution by tackling emissions from imported fossil fuels.  

New measurement-based data from MethaneAIR, MethaneSAT and other instruments will facilitate faster action to cut oil and gas methane emissions not just within the EU but beyond its borders. Most methane emissions associated with EU gas imports occur before they reach the EU. The upstream ‘methane footprint’ is estimated to be up to eight times the emissions from the domestic EU supply chain. 

“This data will enable and motivate action,” said Flavia Sollazzo, Senior Director of Energy Transition at Environmental Defense Fund Europe. “For fossil fuel importers like the European Union, this new level of transparency will catalyse methane mitigation through more informed buying decisions and the ability to track progress towards the EU’s climate goals.” 

According to the International Energy Agency, the spending required to cut methane emissions in the Net Zero Emissions by 2050 Scenario is less than 2% of the net income received by the industry in 2022 globally.  

“We have the technology and solutions to cut methane today. Data from these new instruments will tell us where emissions are coming from, how much is being emitted, and how emissions are changing over time. This will be a game changer,” said Daniel Zavala-Araiza, Senior Scientist at Environmental Defense Fund, which created the MethaneSAT mission in 2018. 

Tracking emissions with unmatched precision 

Highly sensitive imaging spectrometers of MethaneAIR and MethaneSAT will measure methane in the atmosphere with unparalleled sensitivity, making it possible for the first time to determine total methane emissions over wide areas, including detailed maps of both large sources and countless smaller ones down to three parts per billion.  

Automated analytics developed by MethaneSAT will track emissions back to their source. Research suggests these diffuse sources account for a large share of total methane emissions.  

Measurements from MethaneAIR will start to become available later this summer after a rigorous quality control process. Like MethaneSAT, MethaneAIR will also measure emissions from agriculture, landfills and other sources. 

MethaneAIR was developed jointly by MethaneSAT, Environmental Defense Fund, Harvard University and the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory. The leased aircraft was adapted and operated by IO Aerospace. 

As it does across its global operations, Environmental Defense Fund will determine the greenhouse gas emissions associated with each flight, offsetting them through private sector investment in high-integrity emission reduction projects.  

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One of the world’s leading international nonprofit organizations, Environmental Defense Fund (edf.org and edfeurope.org) creates transformational solutions to the most serious environmental problems. To do so, EDF links science, economics, law, and innovative private-sector partnerships. With more than 3 million members and activists and offices in the United States, China, India, Mexico, Indonesia and the European Union, EDF’s scientists, economists, attorneys and policy experts are working in 28 countries and across the E.U. to turn our solutions into action. Connect with us on Twitter @EnvDefenseEuro and LinkedIn.   

Environmental Defense Fund Europe is a registered charity (charity number 1164661) and a company limited by guarantee, incorporated in England and Wales (company number 09217493) and in the Netherlands (RSIN 859171814).  

MethaneSAT, LLC is a subsidiary of Environmental Defense Fund, Incorporated, a leading international nonprofit organization. Environmental Defense Fund links science, economics, law, and innovative private-sector partnerships to create transformational solutions to the most serious environmental problems. Follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn at @MethaneSAT or connect with us at www.MethaneSat.org. Copyright © 2023 MethaneSAT, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

Media contact:     

Anne Visintin / Amy Johnson, amy.johnson@fourtold.eu

Silke Rechenbach, srechenbach@edf.org