Carbon Mapper and International Methane Emissions Observatory Collaborate to Scale up Oil and Gas Methane Mitigation

PASADENA, Calif., June 18, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Carbon Mapper and the UN Environment Programme's (UNEP) International Methane Emissions Observatory (IMEO) announced a partnership to scale up actionable satellite methane data and accelerate mitigation efforts across the global oil and gas sector. Through this collaboration, Carbon Mapper will support UNEP's IMEO with granular emissions data on oil and gas super-emitter events in select jurisdictions.

Carbon Mapper uses remote sensing technology to detect, quantify, and track methane emissions down to the level of specific facilities, infrastructure, or equipment. This accessible, precise data is optimized to guide on-the-ground decision making. IMEO will use this to support its Methane Alert and Response System (MARS) in select jurisdictions, which directly notifies governments and companies of detected emissions events so that they can take corrective action.

To enable mitigation and support progress toward the Global Methane Pledge, the partnership will advance collaboration around emissions monitoring, data transparency, and engagement. This includes:

• Capacity building and knowledge sharing: increasing stakeholders' capacity to utilize emissions data for monitoring and mitigation through training, tools, and other measures.
• Direct engagement: supporting industry and government stakeholders to promote data-driven solutions for methane emissions reduction.
• Advancing emissions monitoring: developing and improving approaches and access to global methane monitoring and analysis.

A growing ecosystem of methane-sensing satellites is delivering unprecedented transparency into emissions. Through MARS, IMEO draws data from over 35 satellites to alert countries and governments of major emissions and has catalyzed and verified action to mitigate emissions across four continents. Adding Carbon Mapper's methane data, derived from Planet Labs' Tanager satellite, will increase MARS notifications in key regions around the world. Thanks to Tanager's dramatically lower detection threshold than most public satellites, paired with high spatial resolution, the satellites enable Carbon Mapper to deliver attributable data as low as 100kgCH₄/hr, unlocking rapid notifications on a larger fraction of global super-emitter events and supporting greater action by companies and governments.

These efforts complement broader global initiatives, including work supported by Bloomberg Philanthropies, Global Methane Hub, and others to accelerate methane mitigation – expanding global monitoring, strengthening rapid response to super-emitter events, and working with governments and industry to turn emissions data into action.

However, we know that data alone isn't enough. Scaling up mitigation requires deep collaboration and close engagement with government and industry. Together, Carbon Mapper and IMEO will work to increase timely access to actionable super-emitter data by bringing Carbon Mapper's expertise in remote sensing, high-resolution methane detection, accessible data, and engagement into IMEO's established track record of engaging decision-makers to use data successfully on the ground via MARS.

Launched in 2022, IMEO's MARS was created to translate global satellite observations into climate action by alerting all governments and operators of major emission events. MARS integrates data from the broadest set of satellite instruments available, combining scientific expertise and advanced artificial intelligence models. To date, the system has enabled the mitigation of over 40 major emission events, which had a combined climate impact equal to 23 million gasoline-powered cars driven for a year.

Building off of partnerships with states to conduct aerial surveys, Carbon Mapper has a long history of working with governments to integrate satellite data into their own programs designed to reduce methane. Most recently, California's Satellite Methane Program (CalSMP) has used Carbon Mapper data to address 26 large emissions events within the state since May 2025, advancing the state's goal of cutting methane emissions 40% by 2030. 

In 2025, Carbon Mapper began delivering rapid notifications of methane detections to regulators and operators in other U.S. jurisdictions. Between August and December 2025, the initial pilot issued 60 notifications covering more than 50 unique sources. In the first five months, Carbon Mapper notifications and engagements supported the mitigation of 10 sources confirmed by state agencies, industry operators, and/or follow-up observations. Stakeholders acknowledged receiving and investigating notifications on an additional 5 sources, and follow-up observations showed no emissions above Tanager-1's detection threshold.

"Sustained engagement can translate methane data into targeted action. Now, it's time to scale up measures that have proven results and can help people pull the emergency brake on climate change," said Carbon Mapper CEO Riley Duren. "We look forward to bringing our data and expertise together with UNEP and the IMEO MARS program to expand these solutions internationally — supporting mitigation efforts across key regions and coordinating directly with global partners to help increase action on MARS alerts."

"Cutting methane at scale requires more than detection — it requires putting information in the hands of those who can use it. That is why UNEP has built a global system that brings together data, partners, and decision-makers to drive action," said Martin Krause, Climate Change Division Director, UNEP. "Carbon Mapper's contribution is a valuable part of that wider effort to faster scale methane mitigation worldwide."

About Carbon Mapper
Carbon Mapper is a science-based nonprofit in Pasadena, CA, with the mission to drive greenhouse gas emissions reductions by making methane and carbon dioxide data accessible and actionable. The organization is recognized for its collaborations with stakeholders to translate data and action, lead cutting-edge science and research, and advance education and insights on emissions globally. Carbon Mapper leverages remote sensing technology to fill gaps in the emerging ecosystem of emissions monitoring systems and deliver precise, timely facility-scale data to empower decision makers and drive mitigation action. The organization and its partners continue to develop and deploy a constellation of satellites that enable Carbon Mapper to quantify and verify methane emissions, make this data publicly accessible, and grow capacity to act on this data to lower emissions worldwide. Learn more at carbonmapper.org and view data at data.carbonmapper.org. 

About the UN Environment Programme (UNEP)
UNEP is the leading global voice on the environment. It provides leadership and encourages partnership in caring for the environment by inspiring, informing and enabling nations and peoples to improve their quality of life without compromising that of future generations.

UNEP's International Methane Emissions Observatory (IMEO) exists to provide open, reliable and actionable data to the individuals with the agency to reduce emissions. It collects and synthesizes data from scientific studies, satellites, rigorous industry reporting and national emissions inventories. IMEO is a core implementer of the Global Methane Pledge, which is an effort by 160 governments to cut methane emissions 30 per cent by 2030.

SOURCE Carbon Mapper Inc.