Can Satellites Help Combat Global Warming?

Methane has been a constant topic when it comes to climate change. So, it is inevitable to turn our advances in technology towards the subject. We've seen developments in the types of energies and gadgets we use, all so we can fight this issue.

Now, we have a new way of supporting sustainability: satellites.

In this slogging thread, our technology channel took the chance to discuss this news about the possibility of satellites helping fight global warming.

This Slogging thread by Sara Pinto, Jack Boreham and Mónica Freitas occurred in slogging's official #technology channel, and has been edited for readability.

"Launched in 2017, Tropomi has been a huge step forward for scientists researching methane, being the first instrument in space that can see plumes of methane emissions directly, says Lena Höglund-Isaksson, a methane researcher at the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis . For example, the instrument led to the discovery of huge methane leaks in Turkmenistan that researchers were not aware of before, she says."

"But these emissions are only the tip of the methane iceberg. “The current constellation of satellites in orbit around the planet today can see about 10% of the methane emissions of oil and gas on the planet,” says Riley Duren, chief executive of Carbon Mapper and a researcher at Arizona University, who co-wrote the paper. “The remaining 90% of these oil and gas methane emissions are below the detection limit of that satellite, but they won’t stay undetected for long.”"

"Better detection of where the methane is coming from is becoming a global imperative. An analysis last month from the International Energy Agency found that methane emissions from oil, gas and coal are about 70% higher than what governments are officially reporting. If the world is ever going to achieve significant reductions of this gas, it needs to know where it’s coming from."

"These satellites will allow an unprecedented tracking of the sources of this potent greenhouse gas and, it’s hoped, ultimately help to stop the emissions occurring in the first place."

Is this a new way to help prevent climate change?

Mónica Freitas Jack Boreham Abeer Limarc Ambalina, what are your thoughts on this?

Sara Pinto, I mean, they can help monitor it right. But, the actual action is all down to us. Our initiative is key to reducing methane levels!

Sara Pinto, I love that they're putting in the effort to detect and measure new data to help us stop the climate crisis but the action is all down to us. And I don't see us making any significant measures. What do you think will come from these satellites?

Yes, of course. But the more help we can get to deal with this subject, the better. As you said, Jack Boreham, it still comes from us, but if we can determine the specific causes, maybe we will have a better chance at sanctioning them and so on (me being hopeful haha)

Sara Pinto, I think that's true. Yep the better the tech the more chance

Mónica Freitas, me too! It gives me a little more hope that we can't turn this issue around. But yes, we have to take action ourselves as well. This is a long shot, but maybe by determining the causes of most of the methane discharges, we can't tackle them directly. And by "we" I mean governments and so on, with sanctions and laws

Sara Pinto, I'm not sure how we can pressure our governments into action anymore. There is always something more urgent. Take a look at the movie "Don't look up". It talks about this precisely.

Mónica Freitas, I feel like "Don't Look Up" will come back to bite me if I don't watch it soon haha

Mónica Freitas, but unfortunately, you're right. Our power is limited when it comes to pressure. It's nerve recking when we have all these gadgets and we are still limited to what we can do with them

Sara Pinto It does make us lose hope. Preparing for the worst while hoping for the best - I think this is the best description for our society right now.

Sara Pinto what it!