Carbon Mapper released the first methane and carbon dioxide (CO2) detections by the Tanager-1 satellite. This is the culmination of years of effort from a public-private partnership, funded by philanthropy, to make emissions data available globally and actionable on a local scale. These observations are a preview of what’s to come as Carbon Mapper will leverage Tanager-1 to scale-up emissions observations at unprecedented sensitivity across large areas. Data at this level of granularity can empower enhanced transparency and guide mitigation actions that benefit our climate.
This milestone was achieved quickly, in just over one month since Tanager-1 launched on August 16. This is the first of a series of satellites being developed through a unique coalition which is led by Carbon Mapper in partnership with NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) and Planet Labs PBC. Other coalition members include RMI and Arizona State University alongside philanthropic supporters including High Tide Foundation, Grantham Foundation for the Protection of the Environment, Bloomberg Philanthropies, Children’s Investment Fund Foundation, and Zegar Family Foundation among others.
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Building on aerial surveys conducted since 2016, Carbon Mapper researchers have been refining the algorithms and processes necessary to pinpoint and quantify super-emitting sources of methane and CO2 quickly. Through these regional pilot surveys, Carbon Mapper found that nearly half of super-emitting events (sources that emit > 100 kg CH4/h) flagged for state agencies and operators were previously unknown, and once identified were able to be mitigated. These efforts laid the groundwork for Carbon Mapper’s work with partners to translate this granular data into concrete mitigation action.
“Detecting and quantifying methane and carbon dioxide detections so quickly with Tanager-1 is a testament to the unique partnership we established. I’m so proud of this outcome after all the hard work by our coalition,” said Carbon Mapper CEO Riley Duren. “This milestone is made possible by the support of our donors who have invested in the satellite technology, science, data platform, engagement program — and most importantly, the team. These first detections are just the beginning; we are on track to routinely publish high-quality emissions data from Tanager-1 in the near future.”
“To meet ambitious climate goals, it is important for philanthropy to lead carefully and follow fast. This is exactly what we have done with our investment in the Carbon Mapper coalition. We were methodical in how we built an emissions monitoring program to drive transparency and actionable emissions insights, and we have delivered,” said Richard Lawrence, Founder and Executive Chairman of High Tide Foundation. “Now is the time to quickly scale up investments to get this data into the right hands so we can accelerate global actions to cut methane and CO2.”
SOURCE: PRNewswire