It’s imperative to measure methane emissions carefully in order to manage and cut them.  

There are now 25 satellites documenting methane emitters such as Carbon Mapper, the Environmental Defense Fund’s MethaneSAT, and Europe’s Sentinel 5. They are generating real-time data and images that make the invisible methane threat visible, pinpointing methane releases we need to cut. Citizen monitors with forward-looking infrared (FLIR) cameras are also stepping up to document methane pollution. 

In 2022, new calculations published by Leave it in the Ground Initiative (LINGO) identified hundreds of “carbon bombs” – fossil fuel projects with the potential to emit a gigaton of CO2 each. In 2023, LINGO used a similar methodology to identify dozens of “methane bombs” – fossil fuel extraction sites which by themselves could emit the equivalent of 30 years’ worth of all US GHG emissions. 

The new wealth of data and real-time monitoring gives us the tools we need to track actual methane emissions, target priority methane sources, and document the progress of methane abatement.

We call on countries and companies to use the latest data to report their methane emissions truthfully, including data from on-site measurement and satellites. 

We call on the IPCC to update its global warming potential (GWP) metrics for methane to always include a 20-year time frame alongside GWP100 and require accurate emissions reporting, with double accounting (GWP20/100) as a minimum standard. 

Even more accurate ways of showing methane’s immediate heating contribution are welcome.