How to track methane emissions from space
How can artificial intelligence help fight global warming? NASA, the Sentinel Network, and even MI6 are working on this. In France, a company called Kayrros has developed a system to identify the natural gas leak responsible for global warming. “We are able to follow the commitments of states in real time,” confirms its president, Antoine Rostand.
world first
Will COP26 signatories honor their commitments? If they fall on The Glasgow Climate Charter, which in particular allows finalizing rules for implementing the Paris Agreement, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and nothing guaranteeing that they will keep their commitments, except perhaps for artificial intelligence that could come into play.
In an orbit of 800 km from Earth, the Sentinel 5 satellite identifies patches of methane using an infrared sensor. He sends all his data to Paris to Sky Ross, which tracks leaks of this gas in every country. Its president, Antoine Rostand, wants to put positive pressure on it by pointing the finger at highly neglected states. “We are able to follow in real time the commitments of countries and companies in relation to the promises they made in Paris or Glasgow,” he assures us.
“a matter of justice”
“If we can’t reduce our emissions everywhere in the world, there is no point in lowering them in Europe so that they go up elsewhere. So it’s not a question of espionage, it’s a question of justice,” he says.
The studies that have already been conducted are clear: methane leaks, often accidental, dramatically accelerate global warming. This is explained by Thomas Laveau, researcher at the Laboratory for Science and Environment in Paris-Saclay: “The gas that can be recovered by avoiding these leaks can be calculated in billions of dollars per year. If we compare with the number of cars, the entire traffic sector will be in France, England and Germany. It is really something colossal!”
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