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Satellites can now spot major methane leaks from space within days. Yet only 13 per cent of those alerts lead to any response from the governments or companies responsible.<\/p>\nSatellites can now spot major methane leaks from space within days. Yet only 13 per cent of those alerts lead to any response from the governments or companies responsible.<\/p>\n
The UN Environment Programme (UNEP) wants to close that gap. Last month it announced a new push \u2013 backed by Bloomberg Philanthropies \u2013 to help countries investigate and fix 80 per cent of major leaks detected by 2030. Currently, only 10 countries manage that.<\/p>\n
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Currently, only 10 countries have reached that level of response.<\/p>\n
Methane is responsible for around one-third of today’s global warming. Unlike carbon dioxide, it remains in the atmosphere for a much shorter time, meaning that reducing emissions now can deliver climate benefits within years rather than decades.<\/p>\n
\u201cCarbon dioxide remains the principal driver of long-term warming. But it is also time to prioritize the cutting of methane<\/strong>,\u201d said UN Secretary-General Ant\u00f3nio Guterres. \u201cAggressive cuts could produce visible temperature relief within a generation.\u201d<\/p>\n More than 60 per cent of methane emissions come from human activities, primarily agriculture, fossil fuels and waste, with the fossil fuel sector offering the fastest and most cost-effective opportunities for reducing emissions.<\/p>\n UNEP’s Methane Alert and Response System (MARS) uses satellite data to identify major methane leaks in near real time and alerts governments and operators so they can investigate and fix them.<\/p>\n Since launching in 2023, the system has issued more than 5,000 alerts across 33 countries, helping trigger more than 40 verified repairs.<\/strong><\/p>\n In Algeria, one alert led to the repair of a leak that had persisted for decades, delivering climate benefits comparable to removing half a million cars from the road each year.<\/p>\n Yet despite the technology’s success, only 13 per cent of alerts currently receive a response from the countries or operators notified.<\/p>\n \u201cWe can now see methane pollution as it happens, in near real time, from space\u201d said UNEP Executive Director Inger Andersen. \u201cWith this capability, inaction is not an oversight \u2013 it is a choice<\/strong>.\u201d<\/p>\n The expanded programme will strengthen technical support for governments, improve access to methane emissions data and help countries build the capacity to investigate and respond more quickly.<\/p>\nUse of alerts<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Faster, bolder action<\/strong><\/h2>\n