<h5>Who has developed this new satellite?</h5><p>Our earth gets hotter every year as a result of greenhouse gas emissions. Scientists are trying their best to reduce emissions. Recently, a satellite named MethaneSAT has been launched. It will orbit the Earth and will detect methane emissions from all of the world's major producing facilities.</p><p>The satellite has been built by the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF), a non-profit US group that works to help save the environment. The organisation partnered with Harvard University, the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory, and the New Zealand Space Agency to develop MethaneSAT. Google has also tied up with this project.</p><figure class="image"><img src="https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/newsahoot.appspot.com/o/new-satellite-launched-to-track-methane-pollution%2FMethaneSAT%203.jpg?alt=media&amp;token=5f8a71d6-37e6-4bd3-8222-890e4fa52281"><figcaption>A digital representation of MethaneSAT in space. Photo by New Scientist.</figcaption></figure><h5>Why is it essential to track methane?</h5><p>Methane accounts for around 30% of global warming today. The extraction and usage of fossil fuels contribute significantly to methane levels in the atmosphere. Methane is the second-most damaging greenhouse gas after carbon dioxide. Many countries have promised to decrease methane emissions by 30% by 2030.</p><p>At the recent <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.newsahoot.com/articles/new-consensus-agreed-during-cop-28">COP28</a> climate meeting, several major oil and gas companies promised to eliminate methane emissions by 2050. Methane harms our environment, and we must reduce its emissions. However, it is difficult to track methane emissions accurately.</p><p>Methane emissions come from various sources, like agriculture, waste management, oil, gas, and coal extraction activities, etc. It is also released due to minor sources, like wildfires, etc. The MethaneSAT will help track methane emissions, helping minimise them.</p><h5>How will the MethaneSAT work?</h5><figure class="image"><img src="https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/newsahoot.appspot.com/o/new-satellite-launched-to-track-methane-pollution%2FMethaneSAT%202.jpg?alt=media&amp;token=9a397bd2-17e5-479b-bf34-acedb20413f6"><figcaption>An image showing the functioning of the MethaneSAT. Photo by MethaneSAT.</figcaption></figure><p>MethaneSAT will orbit the Earth 15 times daily, monitoring the oil and gas, agriculture, coal industries, etc. The satellite will help track methane levels across areas, countries, and oilfields. It will also detect large and small emission sources.</p><p>It will collect a lot of data to demonstrate where methane is coming from, who is creating it, and if emissions increase or decrease over time. The satellite is equipped with powerful equipment to capture the critical data.</p><p>The acquired data will be processed by Google using <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.newsahoot.com/articles/how-does-artificial-intelligence-work">artificial intelligence</a> (AI) and other technologies.</p><h5>Who will be able to access this data?</h5><p>The data will soon be made available to the public through the Google Earth Engine. The data can be accessed by everyone, including the public, various organisations, regulators, etc. This will help organisations take the required action to limit methane emissions.</p>

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