COP29 | Baku, Azerbaijan | November 2024
Methane Monitoring at COP29: From Pledges to Progress
Methane monitoring at COP29 put a single question to governments, operators, and investors gathered in Baku: have the pledges made in Dubai actually moved the needle? COP28 produced landmark commitments through the Oil and Gas Decarbonization Charter and the Global Methane Pledge. COP29 was the moment to measure whether those commitments were translating into verifiable action. GHGSat arrived in Baku with data, a major partnership announcement, and plans to nearly double its satellite fleet.
What methane monitoring at COP29 revealed.
Between COP28 and COP29, GHGSat’s satellite constellation made more than 3 million observations across 85 countries, identifying nearly 16,000 emissions over the super-emitter threshold of 100 kilograms of methane per hour. The scale of the monitoring challenge and the opportunity was visible in the data.
At COP29, governments and philanthropy announced nearly $500 million in new grant funding for methane abatement, bringing total grant funding mobilized under the Global Methane Pledge to over $2 billion. The European Commission announced the Methane Abatement Partnership Roadmap to enhance importer-exporter collaboration in the oil and gas sector. In the waste sector, six of the top 20 emitting countries announced new policy and regulatory action.
UNEP’s International Methane Emissions Observatory notified over 30 countries of 1,200 super-emitter events in the oil and gas sector. The data was there but the response rate remained the challenge.
GHGSat at COP29: Announcements and Activity.
Fleet expansion announced
GHGSat announced plans to nearly double its fleet of methane emissions-monitoring satellites with the launch of nine new satellites by the end of 2026. The expanded constellation would enable daily revisit rates at industrial sites globally, giving operators, governments, and investors the frequency of data they need to move from periodic compliance to continuous monitoring.
Mitsubishi Electric, MUFG, and Satellite Data Service Corporation partnership signed
Mitsubishi Electric Corporation, MUFG Bank, Satellite Data Service Corporation, and GHGSat signed a contract to visualize greenhouse gas emissions and absorption using satellite data. The partnership marked a significant expansion of GHGSat’s presence in the Japanese market and demonstrated how satellite methane data is moving into mainstream financial and industrial applications.
GHGSat at COP29 panels and discussions on methane mitigation
Bâtir un dossier : Comment le secteur de la gestion des déchets peut concevoir une stratégie efficace de réduction des émissions et atteindre les objectifs de 2030
A panel exploring how the waste management sector can build a credible emissions reduction strategy ahead of the 2030 deadline with satellite monitoring as a core evidence layer.
How-to Guide: Securing a Reliable Energy Future While Rapidly Decarbonizing Existing Infrastructure
A practical discussion on how energy infrastructure operators can balance energy security with decarbonization commitments, using emissions data to prioritize action across their asset base.
Harnessing Digitization to Reduce Emissions
A session on how digital tools, including satellite data platforms, are accelerating the speed at which operators can detect, quantify, and mitigate emissions across large and distributed infrastructure networks.
Satellite Data Is Here to Stay: Strategies to Turn Emissions Data into Action
GHGSat joined sector leaders to discuss how satellite methane data moves from detection to operational response and what best practices in emissions data integration look like across oil and gas, waste, and government sectors.
New Developments of GOSAT Series: Japanese GHG Center and Use of Satellite Data for Business
GHGSat participated in the Japan Pavilion seminar on satellite greenhouse gas data and its business applications. Stephane Germain joined a panel discussion alongside representatives from UNEP’s International Methane Emissions Observatory, the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service, and academic institutions, exploring the integration of GOSAT data with GHGSat’s facility-level observations.
- Date: November 14, 2024
- Time: 15:45 – 17:00 local time
- Location: Japan Pavilion, Blue Zone
Panelists: Stephane Germain, GHGSat; Takumi Hashizume, Managing Director, MUFG; Daniel Kashmir, CEO, Momentick; Roland Kupers, Lead Architect, UNEP IMEO; Laurence Rouil, Director, Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service; Eri Saikawa, Professor, Emory University
Global methane insights 2024: The data behind COP29
GHGSat’s annual methane report, “Global Methane Insights: A COP for Ambition, Action, and New Answers,” draws on facility-level satellite observations from across the globe to show where methane is being emitted, at what scale, and what it costs the energy sector in lost revenue. The report covers developments since COP28 and sets the data foundation for the accountability discussions that defined Baku.
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 has contributed data to the IMEO since 2020.
What did GHGSat announce at COP29?
GHGSat announced plans to nearly double its satellite fleet with nine new launches by the end of 2026. The company also signed a partnership with Mitsubishi Electric, MUFG Bank, and Satellite Data Service Corporation to visualize greenhouse gas emissions using satellite data and participated in multiple panel discussions across the Baku program.
