b'FLUXES The European Greenhouse Gas Bulletinalso in the US. The charge for methane emissions will Key takeaways also require reliable data, she explains.That is where monitoring, reporting and verification (MRV) comes in. Systems vary from satellites that can Monitoring, reporting and verificationmeasure large emissions, to more localised techniques, (MRV) is crucial to ensuring the successlike drones and ground-based measurements. Together, of policies aimed at reducing emissionsthese help build a picture of the scale and location of of the potent greenhouse gas methane. methane emissions.Satellites, drones and ground-basedWe know that the methane problem exists. We measurement are used to detectknow that emissions are very, very much higher than methane emissions. Together, thesewhat they are currently reported as, but we don\'t know help build a picture of the scale andhow much is actually emitted, explains Flavia location of emissions. Sollazzo, Senior Director of the EU Energy Transition An EU law, in the final stages offrom the Environmental Defense Fund Europe, aUS- agreement, will create reliable MRV forand UK-based environmental non-profit.methane emissions and help reduce these within its borders and beyond. Monitoring from spacegives a big pictureMethane emissions are easier for satellites to spot than C ountries are looking at how to make a 30%carbon dioxide, due to the greenhouse gas being less present in the atmosphere. Satellites can build a picture reduction of methane a reality by 2030,of a wide area, find large sources, and access areas focusing on the oil and gas sector. Forpotentially inaccessible for ground-based techniques. instance, in the US, the MethaneThere are several already in orbit, such as the Coper-Emissions Reduction Program introduces anicus Sentinel-5 Precursor (S5P) mission, which moni-charge on methane emitted by certain oil and gastors methane emissions in Europe and globally.companies. This charge will apply to facilities emittingThe satellites instrument detect the unique finger-over 25,000 metric tons of CO2 equivalent every yearprints of gases across different parts of the electromag-and will start at $900 per metric ton reported in 2024. netic spectrum, delivering daily high-resolution global Meanwhile, the EU will soon pass a law to createinformation on emissions. It has already revealed reliable MRV for methane emissions and help reducenumerous individual incidents of unintended and these within its borders and beyond. Alongside obligingdeliberate methane leaks around the planet.the fossil fuel industry to roll out MRV, it will banWe have detected several super-emitters also over routine venting and flaring of gases, and mandates oilEurope related to urban areas, e.g. Madrid and Bucha-and gas companies to carry out regular surveys torest as well as coal mining emissions in Poland and detect and repair methane leaks in the EU. Ukraine," says Dr Ilse Aben, Senior Scientist at the Such efforts require data to implement and ensureSRON Netherlands Institute for Space Research and their effectiveness.Co-Principal Investigator for the S5P TROPOMI If you don\'t know where the emissions come from,detecting system.then you cannot do anything about them. Also, whenOn a global scale, these methane super-emitters are we are talking about having an effect internationally,only the tip of the iceberg in terms of overall total then we have to extend our monitoring, reporting andanthropogenic methane emissions. But they have also verification outside our borders and this is only possibleproved to be important in raising awareness for when we have reliable, comparable data, says Juttamethane emissionsboth at the political level and at Paulus, a Green MEP from Germany, who helped nego- the level of the polluters and other relevant stake-tiate the EUs methane law. holders. Making visible what is invisible really works as She says that measuring methane emissions hasan eye opener for many stakeholders, she adds.gained traction in recent years, not just in the EU butIn 2026, another three satellites will be launched by'