Commercial Demand: Climate, Methane and Carbon
Is climate monitoring a real market for Earth observation, and who pays for it?
Chapter summary
Climate monitoring is EO's most politically visible use but a small paid market.
Key takeaways
- 1
Methane is the exception that is becoming commercial: satellites can now spot large leaks from oil and gas sites, landfills and coal mines, and regulation (US and EU methane rules, the EU methane import regulation) creates buyers who must find and fix leaks.
- 2
Missions include the government and non-profit GHGSat-class and Carbon Mapper's Tanager satellites (built by Planet), while the high-profile MethaneSAT was lost in 2025.
- 3
Forest carbon and deforestation monitoring rely mostly on free data and are paid for by carbon-market participants and companies complying with supply-chain rules.
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