California coalition just launched its ‘own damn satellite’ to track pollution

News

Aug 16, 2024

What you need to know: A methane-detecting satellite launched today by a philanthropic coalition lays the groundwork for additional satellites that could track upwards of 40% of global methane emissions.

VANDENBERG SPACE FORCE BASE - California just followed through on a promise by former Governor Jerry Brown - a philanthropically-backed coalition, including the state, launched its 'own damn satellite' to help track dangerous pollutants like methane. Tackling methane emissions is critical to combating the climate crisis because methane is 80 times more potent than carbon dioxide emissions for near-term warming of the planet.

Planet Labs successfully launched its Tanager-1 satellite today from Vandenberg Space Force Base. The satellite is designed to detect, pinpoint, and quantify super-emitters at a level of granularity needed to support direct mitigation action.

Liftoff of Transporter-11! pic.twitter.com/R7UoMknxRk

- SpaceX (@SpaceX) August 16, 2024

The launch was made possible by the Carbon Mapper Coalition, which is a philanthropically-backed partnership dedicated to filling gaps in the emerging ecosystem of methane and CO2 monitoring systems. The coalition is led by Carbon Mapper, Inc., a nonprofit organization, and includes Planet Labs PBC, NASA JPL, RMI, the California Air Resources Board (CARB), Arizona State University and others. It has received philanthropic support from High Tide Foundation, Bloomberg Philanthropies, and the Grantham Foundation.

Separate from this launch, as part of Governor Gavin Newsom's California Climate Commitment budget, California has made a $100 million state investment in using satellite methane data. This data could help track upwards of 40% of global methane emissions.

California's collaboration in this effort was initially launched by former Governor Brown in 2018. At the time, Governor Brown said: "We're going to launch our own damn satellite to figure out where the pollution is and how we're going to end it."

"With today's satellite launch, California will track harmful pollution and hold polluters accountable.

We couldn't have done this without our cutting-edge public-private partnership backed by philanthropy. And this is just the beginning - we have more satellites going up in the coming years that will provide real-time methane detection and enforcement."

Governor Gavin Newsom

The Governor and First Partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom touring Planet Labs in August 2023.

This satellite is a game-changer, providing California with a powerful, state-of-the-art tool to help us slash emissions of methane. The satellite accelerates action by making high emitting methane sources visible quickly. The data collected by the satellite will provide a more complete, precise, and timely measurement of methane source level emissions, in addition to more than 25 other environmental indicators.

Satellite methane data will be critical for California regulators to hold polluters accountable, and the rest of the world will benefit as well from transparent and timely access to data on leaks when they occur. The state would notify polluters in California and take enforcement action if leaks weren't quickly addressed.

Last year, California launched a new pledge for governments around the world to commit to cutting global methane emissions, one of the worst climate pollutants. The pledge is aimed at subnational governments - like California - and builds on the Global Methane Hub's Global Methane Pledge that focuses on countries.

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