This week, Google announced a project, in conjunction with the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF), to map the global methane emissions using satellites. With the goal of pinpointing the largest and most egregious methane leaks, the MethaneSAT satellite will survey levels of methane emitted by the world's top oil and gas-producing regions to get a better handle on just how much methane is being emitted.

Once quantified and mapped, it will be easier for countries to work together to reduce the amount of damaging greenhouse gas that escapes into the atmosphere each day and curb the long-term impacts of methane leaks on global warming.

Why Methane Matters in Climate Change

Methane is the second most prevalent greenhouse gas emitted from human activities after carbon dioxide (CO2). According to the International Energy Agency, methane is responsible for around 30% of global warming. Moreover, a recent study from RMI found that methane can produce as much warming as burning coal, once you account for leaks. It is the main component of natural gas, which is used in everything from household and commercial cooking to heating, transportation, and more. More importantly, however, it's a byproduct of oil and gas drilling. It's found in its largest concentration in agriculture and the decomposition of landfill waste. Yet, not all sources of methane are caused by human activity; wetlands also produce methane.

When it comes to climate change and global warming, methane is much more effective at trapping heat in the atmosphere than CO2. The Global Warming Potential (GWP) of methane is a measure of its ability to trap heat in the atmosphere relative to CO2. Over 100-years, the GWP of methane is approximately 28-34 times greater than CO2, according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Fifth Assessment Report (AR5).

According to the IEA, “This means that one tonne of methane can be considered to be equivalent to 28 to 36 tonnes of CO2 if looking at its impact over 100 years.” Methane is much more efficient at trapping heat in the atmosphere than CO2, even though it remains in the atmosphere for a shorter period. Methane stays in the atmosphere for about 12 years, while CO2 hangs around for hundreds to thousands of years.

According to the IPCC report, the concentration of methane in the atmosphere has more than doubled since the pre-industrial era (prior to 1750), and atmospheric methane levels have continued to rise, reaching over 1,800 parts per billion (ppb) by 2020. That’s up from about 700 ppb in the pre-industrial era. The report primarily attributes this increase to human activities, such as agriculture (notably from livestock and rice paddies), waste management (landfills), and the production and transport of fossil fuels.

What has taken so long?

Here in the US, the EPA has tried to regulate and manage methane emissions for years, and the Biden Administration recently updated rules for gas and oil drillers, aiming to reduce the emissions from wells by more than 80%, according to NPR. The plan called the Methane Emissions Reduction Program, is aggressive in that it levies increasing fines on gas and oil companies that fail to capture or reduce methane gas escaping from their drilling operations.

Fees begin at $900 per metric ton of emissions in 2024 and increase to $1,200 in 2025 and $1,500 in 2026 and beyond. According to The Verge, “Leaks alone cost the US, the world’s biggest gas producer, around 1 percent of its annual gas production — 6.5 million metric tons of leaking methane a year.”

The EDF entered into an agreement with the New Zealand Space Agency in 2021, and in 2020, the Bezos Earth Fund gave the EDF project $100 million for development. Together, they have developed a satellite called MethaneSAT, which will soon go into orbit.

One of the main blockers has been mapping and understanding the methane leaks on a more global level. Google Cloud algorithms will allow the EDF to measure and track the amount of methane emitted over time, giving climate change scientists new and more accurate real-time data. The data will be overlaid with Google Maps and trained AI to detect oil and gas infrastructure like storage tanks and well pads to better pinpoint leaks. This isn't the first time that Google has partnered with the EDF. In 2013, Google allowed the EDF to put methane sensors on their Street View mapping cars to map leaking methane sites, according to The Verge.

The EDF program should make significant strides against the goals of reducing methane emissions around the world. The EDF has other significant backers for the program, including Harvard and the Smithsonian.

How Soon Will the Data Arrive?

MethaneSAT has been in development for a few years, and the satellite will make its way to the stars on Space X’s Falcon9 rocket in March this year. MethaneSAT will orbit the globe 15 times a day and track methane levels over major oil and gas fields, though it won't quantify the methane released by other major emitters like landfills. A separate project by NASA and a nonprofit called Carbon Mapper currently tracks landfill emissions.

However, data collection and quantification are the first steps in curbing methane emissions. Aging oil and gas infrastructure will need to be overhauled, and oil and gas-producing countries must implement penalties and incentives to make it all work. While reducing methane emissions could be huge in slowing down global warming, it will still take time for infrastructure improvements and methane capture to have a widespread impact on climate change. A United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) estimate from 2021 shows that significant reductions in methane emissions could avoid as much as 0.3°C of global warming by the 2040s. This is substantial, considering the global goal of limiting warming to well below 2°C, and aiming for 1.5°C, above pre-industrial levels. That is, of course, if we haven’t surpassed that limit already.

While the EDF hasn't announced a firm timeline, it says that data should become available by the end of 2024, with a more complete picture by 2025. The data will also be made publicly available through MethaneSAT’s website and Google’s Earth Engine.

SURVEY: What did you think of this edition? Let us know in our feedback survey here!

🌎 New Climate Jobs

Check out some of the latest featured jobs below. If you don't see anything that speaks to you, you can always go to Climatebase to explore thousands of other opportunities.

Metro Water Recovery

“We are the largest wastewater treatment provider in the Rocky Mountain West. We are a large, stand-alone special district formed by the Colorado legislature as the Metropolitan Denver Sewage Disposal District No. 1 in 1961 to provide wastewater transmission and treatment services to member municipalities and special connectors in compliance with federal, state and local laws. Our first facility, Robert W. ...”

• Energy Manager (Remote (undefined))

THE WEEK

“Too often, climate change can feel like a big, abstract and even overwhelming topic. How do we start to wrap our heads around it, in the midst of everything else going on in our lives? How will it impact me and the people I love? The Week was designed to help everyone to engage with the topic. The Week is a ...”

• US Corporate Program Manager (Remote (undefined))

cKinetics

“cKinetics (www.cKinetics.com) is a mission driven Sustainability Insight, Innovation & Capital Advisory Firm. We are amongst the largest boutique Sustainability advisory firms globally. We work with businesses, investors, industry groups as well as thought leaders to continually generate market insight and catalyze change. With offices in New Delhi, India and Cupertino, California; the company works with clients and partners globally. ...”

• Client Support Operations Specialist (Remote (undefined))

Spark Northwest

“At Spark Northwest we envision a transition to clean energy in our region that reduces carbon and prioritizes benefits for marginalized communities. To reach these ambitious goals, we work closely with partners to plan and implement clean energy projects that build power and wealth in their communities. We do that in the following ways: Partnership Prioritizing marginalized groups, we partner with Tribal Nations, ...”

• Project Manager (Remote (undefined))

Urban Sustainability Directors Network

“The Urban Sustainability Directors Network (USDN) supports local governments to implement bold change in pursuit of equitable and sustainable communities. It does this by building the capacity of local governments to act, scaling promising practices and solutions, and harnessing data and insights to advance and influence the field. The heart of USDN’s work is a network of local government sustainability ...”

• Program Manager, Direct Support and Innovation (Remote (undefined))

Sparkfund

“The US is at a pivotal moment, experiencing an unprecendented surge in the demand for power. Retirements of existing fossil generators, coupled with an unprecedented rise in the need for electricity and associated peak demand, is causing planners to double forecasted investments to increase grid capacity. To support this challenge, we partner with utilities and building owners to transform the built environment ...”

• (Sr.) Manager, Commercial Solutions (Remote (undefined))
• Program Manager (Remote (undefined))

Fossil Free California

“Fossil Free California is a small grassroots nonprofit focused on ending financial support for climate-damaging fossil fuels and promoting the transition to a socially just and environmentally sustainable society. ...”

• Communications Organizer or Lead (Remote (undefined))

Channing St. Copper Co.

“We are a team of entrepreneurs, inventors, and activists who are committed to mitigating climate change. We know there are great technologies, like induction stoves and heat pumps, which can immediately make people's lives better, while also making a big difference on climate change. So we created Channing St. Copper Co. to get these technologies in more homes as quickly ...”

• Electrical Engineering Intern (Remote (undefined))
• Mechanical Engineering Intern (Remote (undefined))
• New Product Introduction Engineer (Remote (undefined))
• Technical Writing Intern (Remote (undefined))
• Customer Success Manager (Remote (undefined))

Active Impact Investments (Climate Tech Startups)

“We support environmental resiliency through profitable investment. We provide capital and talent to accelerate the growth of early-stage climate tech ventures catalyzing the transition from finite to infinite sources of energy, food, water & products. We are committed to helping our portfolio of climate tech startups to achieve scale by providing capital and recruitment of the highest calibre talent. ...”

• Engagement Product Manager (Remote (undefined))
• Director of Client Success (Remote (undefined))
• Recruiter (Remote (undefined))
• General Application for Climate Tech Startups (Remote (undefined))

Lydian

“Lydian is a technology development company focused on producing the cheapest carbon-neutral fuels and chemicals on the planet. Our process replaces oil and gas refining with fully electrified, modular, and highly efficient reactor systems that enable the upgrading of captured CO2 into a range of carbon-neutral fuels and chemicals. Our initial focus is on the production of the cheapest and ...”

• R&D Engineer Co-op/Intern (6+ months)
• Pitch us a role!
• R&D Engineer

InPlanet

“We are an impact-driven, remote-first, AgTech startup headquartered in Germany and Brazil with the goal to reverse climate change and make tropical agriculture more regenerative, low-carbon and sustainable. We are working with Enhanced Rock Weathering in tropical agriculture, currently with focus on Brazil. We do that to create a liveable planet for future generations and, in specific, to regenerate soils ...”

• Business Development Trainee/Intern (Remote (undefined))
• Junior Laboratory Technician | Técnico de Laboratório Júnior (Remote (undefined))
• Information Technology Business Analyst | IT & Business Analyst (Remote (undefined))

Arbor

“Arbor is a smart energy platform that helps you automatically lower your electric rate on an ongoing basis. Customers who switch save an average of $544 per year. ...”

• Full-stack Engineer
• Lead Frontend / Full Stack Software Engineer (Remote (undefined))
• Lead Backend / Full Stack Software Engineer (Remote (undefined))

Wildlife Works

“Wildlife Works' mission is to ​​create market-based solutions for wildlife and ecosystem conservation that drives direct financing and self governance for local communities. Our community-centered wildlife conservation projects implement market-based initiatives to protect the planet’s threatened wilderness and endangered wildlife. The company was founded on the premise that if we want wildlife in our world, we have to make it work ...”

• Gerente Sênior - Amazônia Ocidental
• US Tax Accounting Specialist (CA, NC or VT only) (Remote (undefined))
• Validation & Verification Coordinator

Seabound

“Seabound is a climate tech startup that builds carbon capture equipment for ships. The equipment is installed adjacent to a ship's funnel to trap up to 95% of the CO2 from the exhaust, using patent-pending technology. ...”

• Thermal Fluids Engineer
• Research Engineer (Chemical)

David Gardiner and Associates

“For over 20 years, David Gardiner and Associates has worked to catalyze global decarbonization through strategic advisory services. By leveraging decades of practical experience and thought leadership, we provide our clients with tailored research and analysis, long-term strategic planning, and advanced communications through stakeholder engagement and alliance building. We continue to foster effective partnerships with nonprofits, trade associations, and corporations ...”

• Research Associate
• Senior Director, Clean Energy (Remote (undefined))

Climate Robotics

“Climate Robotics is a venture-backed startup based in Houston, TX. We are building the next generation of agricultural machinery to produce biochar, a powerful soil amendment that improves soil health and sequesters atmospheric carbon. ...”

• Principal Mechanical Engineer
• Head of Agricultural Business Development (Remote (undefined))

dashboard.earth

“Dashboard.earth is a technology start-up working to drive citizen engagement in climate change adaptation. You will be joining us at an exciting and pivotal time. We’ve just released our MVP for the city of Los Angeles and have six months of testing and partner pilots planned before our official release later this year. ...”

• Lead Mobile Product Designer (Remote (undefined))
• Senior Fullstack Engineer (Remote (undefined))

Synop

“Supercharging commercial EV adoption via software to connect vehicles, chargers, and utilities. ...”

• Senior Backend Engineer - Charging Services (Remote (undefined))

Artyc

“Artyc is on a mission to decarbonize cold chain logistics with refrigerant-free, reusable, active cooling containers. Refrigerants are quickly becoming the largest source of greenhouse gas emissions and, in combination with the loss of agricultural, pharmaceutical, and medical goods in transit, are expected to have an impact of 160 gigatons of carbon dioxide equivalent emissions across the next decade. Artyc ...”

• Senior Firmware Engineer (Remote (undefined))

That's it for this week! Remember, you can always view thousands of more jobs on Climatebase.org.

Final reminders...

👋 Get discovered. Create a profile to have employers hire you.

🚀 Accelerate your climate career. Apply to join the Climatebase Fellowship.

🌱 Hiring? Post your jobs to reach over 250k monthly users and over 100,000 newsletter readers.

❤️️ Share a link to this week's edition.

🐦 Let's connect! Follow us on Twitter @Climatebase, and our co-founders @evandhynes and @jhardin925