United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) has revealed that Artificial Intelligence (AI)-powered satellite monitoring systems are helping accelerate global efforts to combat climate change by identifying major methane leaks from oil and gas operations and triggering mitigation actions with climate benefits equivalent to removing nearly 24 million gasoline-powered passenger vehicles from the roads for an entire year.
The findings acontained in a new report by UNEP: “Spotlighting Opportunity: How Artificial Intelligence is Accelerating Methane Action”, highlights how AI is transforming vast amounts of satellite data into practical climate action.
UNEP’s International Methane Emissions Observatory (IMEO) and the Methane Alert and Response System (MARS) use artificial intelligence to detect significant methane emissions, notify governments and businesses, and support faster responses to reduce one of the world’s most powerful greenhouse gases.
Since becoming fully operational in 2024, MARS has contributed to over 40 methane mitigation initiatives throughout the world, illustrating the expanding significance of AI-driven technologies in improving environmental monitoring and expediting emissions reductions.
The development comes as governments and industries are under increasing pressure to meet pledges under efforts like the Global Methane Pledge and respond to the United Nations Secretary-General’s Call to Action on Methane.
Methane remains one of the most significant contributors to global warming. Although it stays in the atmosphere for a shorter period than carbon dioxide, it is estimated to be around 80 times more powerful than CO₂ over a 20-year period.
The gas is released primarily through human activities including fossil fuel production, agriculture and waste management. Reducing methane emissions offers one of the fastest ways to slow global warming while also improving air quality, protecting public health and supporting agricultural productivity.
However, identifying methane sources has traditionally been a major challenge due to the enormous volume of environmental data generated through satellite observation.
More than 30 satellites currently collect information about methane emissions across the planet, producing vast quantities of data that are difficult for humans alone to process efficiently.
UNEP’s AI-supported system is designed to address this challenge by rapidly analysing satellite observations, identifying possible methane releases and allowing experts to focus on verification and response.
According to the report, artificial intelligence has enabled IMEO analysts to process between 12 and 15 times more data while maintaining scientific accuracy. AI-assisted workflows successfully identified 80 to 85% of confirmed methane detections before expert review, helping target emission sources estimated to have released approximately 1.2 million tonnes of methane.
According to Martin Krause, Director of UNEP’s Climate Change Division, “methane is only the beginning.”
“The real lesson from this work is that AI can help convert the explosion of environmental data into practical action. By combining scientific expertise with lightweight and energy-efficient AI tools, we can respond faster not only to methane emissions, but to a wide range of environmental challenges.”
Martin Krause
The assessment underlines that in order to prevent climate solutions from causing new environmental issues, AI itself must be developed responsibly.
According to UNEP, the methane-monitoring models were purposefully made to be lightweight and energy-efficient, using comparatively little processing power while greatly boosting monitoring capacity.
UNEP Turns to AI as Demand for Faster Climate Action Rises
According to UNEP, the capacity to promptly detect and address methane leaks will become more crucial as nations step up their efforts to cut greenhouse gas emissions.
The Methane Alert and Response System combines information from multiple satellite instruments and uses AI models to separate genuine methane emissions from environmental noise. This allows scientists to identify significant leaks, particularly from oil and gas facilities, and provide actionable information to governments and companies responsible for addressing them.
Since 2023, MARS has analysed more than 1.3 million satellite observations, creating what UNEP describes as a scalable model for managing the rapidly expanding volume of environmental data generated worldwide.
The system currently focuses heavily on methane emissions from the fossil fuel sector but is being expanded to cover additional sources, including coal production and waste management.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres has also called on countries to respond to 8% of methane alerts received through MARS, highlighting the importance of timely intervention.
However, UNEP stressed that human expertise remains central to the process. Every methane detection identified by AI undergoes independent scientific review by IMEO analysts before any official notification is issued.
This verification process ensures that decisions are based on scientific judgement rather than relying solely on automated systems.
According to Krause, “the challenge is no longer finding emissions but acting on them as new satellite missions increase the volume of methane data available worldwide.”
“UNEP’s experience shows how AI can help bridge that gap, enabling faster identification of major methane releases and helping convert data into measurable emissions reductions.”
Martin Krause
Beyond monitoring methane, UNEP believes the lessons learned from MARS could help address wider environmental challenges by applying artificial intelligence to other areas where large amounts of data must be transformed into practical solutions.
READ ALSO: Fuel Prices Climb Again From July 16
