"Latest study underscores how satellites are exposing emission sources around the globe. ‘It’s a harbinger of what’s to come,’ one expert says."

"A growing constellation of methane-detecting satellites is giving researchers new and disturbing insights into “super emitters” around the globe — from pipelines in Russia to North America’s oil fields.

But as the reams of data reveal the depth of the problem, they also have made clear a potential tool to combat climate change, according to a study published Thursday in the journal Science. Reducing the number of incidents that release massive amounts of this potent climate pollutant is a low-cost, high-impact way that countries and corporations can help to slow Earth’s warming.

“These are really, really big events. These are the kinds of things that should just never be happening,” said Steven Hamburg, chief scientist for the Environmental Defense Fund who was not involved in the study but has long conducted research on methane, the world’s second-most-prevalent greenhouse gas behind carbon dioxide."

Brady Dennis reports for the Washington Post February 3, 2022. [2]

SEE ALSO:

"Climate Change: Satellites Map Huge Methane Plumes From Oil And Gas" (BBC News) [3]

"A Satellite Finds Massive Methane Leaks From Gas Pipelines" (NPR) [4]

"Satellites Have Located The World’s Methane ‘Ultra-Emitters’" (Science News) [5]