When it comes to climate change, carbon dioxide is the gas that grabs most of the headlines. But there is another gas that is contributing to the superheating of the planet: methane. 

Often released during the production of fossil fuels, human-caused methane is responsible for nearly a third of current global warming. Experts say emissions must fall dramatically to keep alive the most ambitious goals of the Paris Agreement on climate change. 

To help make that happen, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) operates the International Methane Emissions Observatory (IMEO). The initiative uses satellite data and machine learning to track methane releases, providing businesses and policymakers with data that allows them to stem methane leaks. 

The data is made public on IMEO’s methane data platform to drive transparency and accountability.

The system is the first of its kind in the world. Here is a closer look at how it works. 

UNEP is at the forefront of methane emissions reduction in line with the Paris Agreement goal of keeping global temperature rise well below 2°C. UNEP’s work revolves around two pillars: data and policy. UNEP supports companies and governments across the globe to use its unique global database of empirically verified methane emissions to target strategic mitigation actions and support science-based policy options through the International Methane Emissions Observatory (IMEO). UNEP also fosters high-level commitments through advocacy work and supports countries to implement measures that reduce methane emissions through the Climate and Clean Air Coalition (CCAC). Both initiatives are core implementers of the Global Methane Pledge.