Google has joined forces with the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) to unveil a groundbreaking partnership aimed at unveiling sources of climate-warming emissions from oil and gas operations. The initiative utilizes data gathered from space by MethaneSAT, a satellite set to launch next month as part of a broader effort to monitor methane emissions globally. This project, led by EDF in collaboration with the New Zealand Space Agency, Harvard University, and other entities, will leverage Google Cloud’s computing capabilities to process the information.
The MethaneSAT satellite will provide data on methane emissions, which Google plans to integrate into a comprehensive map of oil and gas infrastructure. Using artificial intelligence (AI), Google aims to identify specific components like oil tanks. By overlaying MethaneSAT’s emission data onto the Google map, the partnership seeks to enhance understanding of which types of oil and gas equipment are more prone to leaks.
Access to the information will be facilitated through Google Earth Engine, a geospatial analysis platform, later this year. Earth Engine is available at no cost to researchers, nonprofits, and the news media.
Yael Maguire, Vice President of Geo Sustainability at Google, emphasized the significance of the data for energy companies, researchers, and the public sector in anticipating and mitigating methane emissions from vulnerable components.
This collaboration aligns with global efforts to address methane emissions, particularly given that over 50 major state-owned and independent oil and gas operators, including ExxonMobil and Saudi Aramco, have pledged at the COP28 climate summit to reduce methane leaks to near zero by the end of this decade. The United States, as one of the largest methane-emitting countries, has proposed mandatory measures to curb leaks from oil and gas operations. A recent rule proposed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency would empower the public to report significant methane leaks to federal regulators if they possess methane detection technology.
