COP27

COP27

Nov 1 2022 Laure Boinette

COP27 | Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt | November 2022

Methane Monitoring at COP27: Turning Pledges into Implementation

Methane monitoring at COP27 arrived at a moment of reckoning. The recurring theme across the conference was the gap between pledges and their implementation. As UN Secretary-General António Guterres put it on the opening day: “We are on a highway to climate hell with our foot still on the accelerator.” COP27 was billed as the implementation COP—the first conference held after the Paris Agreement’s rulebook was completed in Glasgow. GHGSat arrived in Sharm el-Sheikh with three newly launched satellites, data delivered to the International Methane Emissions Observatory, and a growing body of evidence showing where methane was being emitted, at what scale, and what it was costing.

What methane monitoring at COP27 revealed

During 2022, GHGSat’s satellite constellation monitored over 500,000 locations and facilities worldwide, covering an area of 2 million km², measuring the equivalent of 179 MtCO₂e, equal to the emissions from 38.6 million cars driving for a year. 69% of all emissions were attributed to the extraction of fossil fuels.

The constellation detected nearly twice as many methane emissions from coal mines in 2022 compared to 2021. GHGSat released data on thousands of methane emitters worldwide, made available on its SPECTRA emissions platform and provided to the International Methane Emissions Observatory.

COP27 produced a historic first on loss and damage — countries agreed to establish a fund and the necessary funding arrangements to support vulnerable nations affected by climate change. On mitigation, the conference confirmed this was the critical decade, but the outcome fell short of the ambition needed to close the 2030 emissions gap.

The pattern was clear. Data existed. Detection capabilities were expanding. The gap was in response—converting monitoring intelligence into operational action at the pace the climate window demanded.

GHGSat at COP27: Announcements and activity.

Three new satellites launched in 2022
With three more satellites successfully launched in May 2022, GHGSat’s capacity to monitor sites globally delivered a marked increase in coverage across oil and gas, coal, and landfill sectors. The expanded constellation represented the most significant growth in GHGSat’s monitoring capability since the company launched its first satellite in 2016.

First commercial contributor of high-resolution data to IMEO
GHGSat continued as the first and only commercial satellite operator contributing high-resolution facility-level methane data to UNEP’s International Methane Emissions Observatory. The contribution, supported by the Canadian government, provided IMEO with the precision data needed to move beyond estimates and notify governments and operators of specific emission events.

Global Methane Hub and SRON partnership announced
In November 2022, GHGSat announced a joint project with the Global Methane Hub and SRON focused on monitoring landfill methane emissions around the world—expanding the application of facility-level satellite data into the waste sector at a global scale.

SPECTRA data platform expanded
GHGSat partnered with IMEO, IEA, and S&P Global to open data insights and made more data available on SPECTRA, its emissions intelligence platform. The expanded platform gave operators, governments, and financial institutions direct access to facility-level methane observations at an unprecedented scale.

GHGSat at COP27 panels and discussions

Supporting the Global Methane Pledge — Canada Pavilion

GHGSat CEO Stephane Germain joined panellists from the Government of Canada, the Government of Quebec, the International Methane Emissions Observatory, the Global Methane Hub, and Canadian industry for a discussion on how satellite data supports implementation of the Global Methane Pledge, moving from the commitment made at COP26 to verifiable, measurable progress on the ground.


Space4Climate—UK Pavilion, Blue Zone

GHGSat’s high-resolution satellite data was featured at the Space4Climate interactive display in the UK Pavilion, attracting attention from senior government and diplomatic visitors, including the UK Foreign Secretary and outgoing COP26 President Alok Sharma. The display gave attendees direct access to facility-level methane observations from GHGSat’s global constellation


What COP27 produced for the methane monitoring sector

COP27 confirmed that the implementation gap—the distance between what countries had pledged and what was verifiably happening on the ground—was the defining challenge of the post-Glasgow period. The Sharm el-Sheikh Implementation Plan requested countries that had not yet done so to revisit and strengthen their 2030 climate targets and made first-ever mentions of food systems and tipping points in a COP cover decision. But it failed to advance ambition on a fossil fuel phase-out.

For satellite methane monitoring, COP27 reinforced a straightforward conclusion. The data infrastructure was growing. The policy ambition existed on paper. What was needed was the connection between the two—faster alert delivery, higher response rates from operators and governments, and the integration of satellite data into regulatory and reporting frameworks at scale.

GHGSat’s three new satellites, its IMEO data contribution, and its SPECTRA platform expansion were all directed at that connection.

Methane snapshot 2022—the data behind COP27

GHGSat’s 2022 Methane Emissions Report provides a data-driven view of global methane emissions across sectors and geographies. It covers the scale and distribution of emissions detected by the constellation, the industries responsible, and the key monitoring developments that shaped the period between COP26 and COP27.

Access the 2022 Methane Emissions Report

FAQ

Why is methane important for climate action?

Methane traps more than 80 times the heat of CO₂ over a 20-year period. It is the second largest contributor to global warming but dissipates from the atmosphere much faster than carbon dioxide. Near-term reductions deliver measurable climate benefits within years, making methane the most time-efficient lever available to policymakers and operators.


What is the Global Methane Pledge?

The Global Methane Pledge is a voluntary international commitment, signed by more than 150 countries, to collectively reduce global methane emissions by 30% by 2030 compared to 2020 levels. It was launched at COP26 in Glasgow in 2021 and remains the primary international framework for coordinated methane action.


How can satellites support the Global Methane Pledge?

Satellites provide independent, facility-level methane measurements at daily frequency across large areas. They identify emission sources that ground-based methods and self-reported data miss, and they provide the verifiable records that national inventories and international accountability frameworks require.


What is the IMEO?

The International Methane Emissions Observatory is a UNEP-led initiative that integrates satellite data from multiple providers to monitor methane emissions globally and engage operators and governments on identified emissions. GHGSat was the first commercial satellite operator to contribute high-resolution data to the IMEO, beginning in 2021.


What did GHGSat announce at COP27?

GHGSat arrived at COP27 with three newly launched satellites that had expanded its global monitoring capacity significantly. The company continued its data contribution to IMEO, announced a joint landfill monitoring project with the Global Methane Hub and SRON, and expanded its SPECTRA platform through partnerships with IMEO, IEA, and S&P Global.


What did GHGSat announce at COP27?

GHGSat arrived at COP27 with three newly launched satellites that had expanded its global monitoring capacity significantly. The company continued its data contribution to IMEO, announced a joint landfill monitoring project with the Global Methane Hub and SRON, and expanded its SPECTRA platform through partnerships with IMEO, IEA, and S&P Global.


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