Data Story — Key Signals in Satellite & Remote Sensing for Climate

Satellite-based climate monitoring has undergone a transformation from academic research tool to operational infrastructure reshaping regulatory enforcement, corporate accountability, and investment decisions. With Planet Labs imaging the entire Earth daily, GHGSat detecting individual methane leaks, and specialized constellations monitoring everything from forest carbon to marine ecosystems, remote sensing is eliminating the opacity that previously enabled environmental misreporting.

Why It Matters

Corporate climate claims have long relied on self-reported data with limited verification. The satellite revolution changes this fundamentally. GHGSat can now detect methane leaks from individual well pads with sufficient precision to attribute emissions to specific operators. Planet Labs imagery identifies deforestation within days, making "no deforestation" supply chain commitments verifiable in near-real-time. The European Space Agency's Sentinel constellation provides free, open data enabling NGOs and regulators to independently verify corporate claims.

The implications extend beyond compliance. Investors are incorporating satellite-verified data into ESG assessments—Climate TRACE's independent emissions inventory, built from satellite data, revealed that global emissions are 50-100% higher than official country-reported figures for some sectors. Insurance companies use satellite data to assess climate risk exposure. Agricultural lenders verify regenerative practice claims via remote sensing. The technology is becoming foundational infrastructure for climate action accountability.

Key Concepts

Satellite Sensing Technologies

• Optical imaging: Visible and near-infrared cameras capturing surface changes (deforestation, land use, urban expansion)
• Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR): All-weather, day-night imaging detecting surface changes regardless of cloud cover
• Hyperspectral sensing: Detection of specific atmospheric gases (CO2, methane, NO2) and surface composition
• Thermal infrared: Heat signatures identifying industrial activity, fires, and thermal pollution

Resolution and Revisit Trade-offs

Satellite systems balance spatial resolution (detail) against temporal resolution (frequency):

• High resolution (under 1m): Detailed site-specific analysis but expensive and infrequent
• Medium resolution (10-30m): Balance of detail and coverage, Sentinel and Landsat
• Daily monitoring: Planet Labs' 3-5m resolution with daily global coverage
• Point source detection: GHGSat's specialized methane sensors targeting specific facilities

From Data to Decision

Raw satellite data requires processing to become decision-useful. Cloud masking, atmospheric correction, change detection algorithms, and machine learning classification transform pixels into actionable information. Commercial platforms (Pachama, Satelligence, Kayrros) provide this processing as service, enabling non-specialists to access satellite insights.

What's Working and What Isn't

What's Working

Methane super-emitter detection: GHGSat's constellation identifies methane plumes from individual oil and gas facilities, with data published in near-real-time. Environmental Defense Fund's MethaneSAT, launched 2024, provides systematic sector-wide monitoring. These capabilities have exposed leaks that operators claimed didn't exist—leading to repairs, regulatory enforcement, and investor pressure.

Deforestation commodity monitoring: Platforms like Global Forest Watch combine Sentinel and Landsat imagery with supply chain data, enabling companies to verify supplier compliance with no-deforestation commitments. Unilever monitors 1.3 million hectares of sourcing areas, identifying encroachment within days rather than months.

Carbon project verification: Satellite monitoring is becoming standard for forest carbon credits, with Pachama and Sylvera providing independent verification of sequestration claims. Projects with satellite verification command 30-50% price premiums as buyers demand credible measurement.

Regulatory enforcement: Environmental agencies increasingly use satellite evidence for enforcement. EPA's methane enforcement actions now routinely cite satellite detection data. European deforestation regulation verification will rely on satellite monitoring for import compliance.

What Isn't Working

Scope 2 and 3 estimation limitations: While satellites excel at detecting point-source emissions and land use change, attributing supply chain and energy emissions (Scope 2/3) from satellite data requires significant modeling assumptions. Claims of satellite-based Scope 3 accounting often overstate precision.

Data access inequality: While some satellite data is freely available (Sentinel, Landsat), high-resolution commercial imagery costs $10-25 per square kilometer, pricing out smaller organizations and Global South governments. Data access remains a barrier to democratized monitoring.

Ground-truthing gaps: Satellite algorithms require calibration against ground measurements, which are sparse in many regions. Models trained on US or European data may perform poorly in tropical forests or developing country industrial contexts without local validation.

Interpretation complexity: Converting satellite observations to emissions estimates involves uncertainty. Methane detection identifies plumes but quantifying leak rates requires atmospheric modeling. Carbon stock estimates have 20-30% uncertainty even with latest techniques.

Examples

1. GHGSat Oil and Gas Monitoring, Global: GHGSat operates 12 satellites detecting methane from individual facilities with 25-meter resolution. In 2024, the company identified 2,300 major leak events globally, with operators repairing 1,800 within 30 days of notification. Regulatory agencies in Canada, EU, and California now incorporate GHGSat data into enforcement. The company's data revealed that Permian Basin methane emissions were 3x higher than EPA inventories, triggering revised regulations.

2. Planet Labs Deforestation Alerts, Brazil: Planet Labs' daily 3-5m imagery enables NGO Imazon to detect deforestation in Brazilian Amazon within 24 hours of clearing. Their DETER-style alert system notified enforcement agencies of 45,000 hectares of illegal clearing in 2024, with 60% receiving enforcement action. The near-real-time capability prevents clearings from being hidden within monthly monitoring gaps that previous systems allowed.

3. Climate TRACE Independent Emissions Inventory, Global: This coalition combines satellite data, AI, and public information to create independent emissions estimates for 352 million assets globally. Their 2024 update revealed that global oil and gas methane emissions exceed official reports by 70%. The inventory is increasingly cited by investors, regulators, and negotiators as ground truth against which self-reported data is benchmarked.

Action Checklist

• Assess monitoring needs—determine which assets, suppliers, or projects require satellite verification and what questions monitoring should answer
• Evaluate data sources—compare commercial platforms (Planet, Maxar, GHGSat) against free options (Sentinel, Landsat) based on resolution, frequency, and processing needs
• Integrate with reporting—establish workflows connecting satellite monitoring to corporate disclosure, carbon accounting, and supplier management systems
• Ground-truth critical sites—invest in ground-based monitoring at key locations to calibrate and validate satellite observations
• Build internal interpretation capacity—develop or procure expertise to translate satellite data into decision-relevant insights
• Prepare for regulatory use—anticipate that regulators and auditors will increasingly use satellite data to verify corporate claims

FAQ

Q: How accurate is satellite-based methane detection? A: GHGSat can detect methane plumes above 100 kg/hour with facility-level attribution. MethaneSAT targets systematic basin-level monitoring with higher sensitivity. Quantifying exact emission rates from detected plumes has 30-50% uncertainty depending on atmospheric conditions—sufficient for identifying super-emitters but not for precise inventory accounting.

Q: Can satellites verify carbon credits? A: Satellites can verify forest presence and change, providing evidence that credited areas haven't been cleared. Estimating actual carbon storage requires models combining satellite biomass estimates with forest inventory data—uncertainty remains 20-30%. Leading verification platforms combine satellite and ground data for credible verification.

Q: What's the cost of satellite monitoring programs? A: Basic monitoring using free Sentinel/Landsat data requires only processing capacity. Commercial high-resolution imagery costs $10-25/km2 per acquisition. Platform subscriptions (Pachama, Planet Analytics) range from $10,000-100,000+ annually depending on coverage and features.

Q: How should we respond if satellites detect issues at our sites? A: Develop rapid response protocols before detection occurs. When satellites identify methane leaks or land use issues, prompt acknowledgment and remediation is essential—denial is futile when satellite evidence is public. Proactive monitoring programs can identify and fix issues before external detection.

Sources

• GHGSat, "2024 Methane Detection Global Summary," GHGSat Inc., 2025
• Climate TRACE, "2024 Global Emissions Inventory: Methodology and Key Findings," Climate TRACE Coalition, 2025
• Planet Labs, "State of the Amazon: 2024 Deforestation Monitoring Report," Planet Labs, 2025
• International Energy Agency, "Methane Tracker 2025: Satellite Detection Revolution," IEA, 2025
• European Space Agency, "Copernicus Sentinel Climate Applications Report," ESA, 2025
• Environmental Defense Fund, "MethaneSAT: First Year Operational Results," EDF, 2025