Vanguard aims to enhance the existing network of satellites that detect methane emissions, an elusive greenhouse gas often leaking from various small sources, including pipelines, drill sites, and farms

Canadian emissions monitoring company GHGSat marked a  milestone on Saturday with the launch of its satellite, Vanguard, from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. This satellite is designed to detect carbon dioxide emissions from individual facilities, such as coal plants and steel mills, from space. The data collected by Vanguard will be available for purchase by industrial emitters seeking to reduce their emissions, as well as governments and scientists. This move comes as part of a broader trend where space-based technology is increasingly holding industries accountable for their contributions to climate change.

Vanguard aims to enhance the existing network of satellites that detect methane emissions, an elusive greenhouse gas often leaking from various small sources, including pipelines, drill sites, and farms. Carbon dioxide, responsible for almost 80 per cent of US greenhouse gas emissions from human activities, primarily emanates from large industrial sources like power plants. Current satellites monitoring carbon dioxide focus on atmospheric levels, not facility-level emissions. GHGSat anticipates that Vanguard’s data will play a crucial role in validating and refining common practices for monitoring and measuring carbon dioxide emissions.

Stephane Germain, CEO of GHGSat, emphasises the significance of having direct measurements of entire facilities from a satellite, stating that it will act as a validation tool in an industry often relying on a mix of direct measurements and estimates. The expectation is that, similar to methane emissions, carbon dioxide emissions may be higher than current estimates.

The data collected by Vanguard is poised to improve the accuracy of government emissions inventories, enhance scientific modeling, and elevate the quality of corporate greenhouse gas reporting for investors. This innovative approach holds the potential to bring transparency and accountability to emissions monitoring on a global scale, contributing to efforts to combat climate change.

(Inputs from Reuters)