By James Pero For Dailymail.com
Published: 18:13 BST, 18 April 2019 | Updated: 20:34 BST, 18 April 2019
9
View
comments
Governments and companies across the world are planning to launch a new generation of satellites capable of monitoring green house gas emissions with unparalleled detail.
Currently, more than a dozen governments and companies are in varying stages of launching their own satellites, which will be used to track harmful gases like CO2 and methane, according to Bloomberg.
These satellites will not only be able to monitor the amount of gas being released, but will also be able ascertain exactly where and from whom the gas is originating - a skill that proponents say will prove useful in efforts to curb emissions and hold individual actors responsible.
Governments and companies across the world are planning to launch a new generation of satellites capable of monitoring green house gas emissions with unparalleled detail. Pictured is the MethaneSAT, being developed by the Environmental Defense Fund
While larger government organizations have long been the business of monitoring greenhouse gases -- the aptly named Greenhouse Gases Observing Satellite operated by Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency has been in orbit since 2009 -- smaller startups are also entering the field and offering a host of improvements.
Among the new players is Bluefield Technologies, which advertises its 'microsatellites' as a cost-efficient and accurate way of detecting harmful methane leaks.
The company's backpack-sized satellites use NASA technology to give constant monitoring of methane emissions, which it says are capable of pinpointing leaks within 20 meters.
