Polluters

A satellite that measures methane leaks from oil and gas companies is set to start circulating the Earth 15 times a day next month. Google plans to have the data mapped by the end of the year for the whole world to see.The partnership between Google and the Environmental Defense Fund, which in March is expected to launch its satellite known as MethaneSAT, marks a new era of global climate accountability. Methane is a potent greenhouse gas estimated to be responsible for nearly a third of human-caused global…

Credit: CC0 Public Domain Lobbyists from major polluting industries were out in force at the recent UN climate summit, COP28. Groups representing the livestock industry, which is responsible for around 32% of global methane emissions, want to increase their use of a new way of measuring these emissions that lets high polluters evade their responsibility to make big emissions cuts. …

An instrument recently installed on the International Space Station (ISS) is proving its mettle at spotting plumes of greenhouse gases that are altering Earth’s climate.The sensor, called Earth Surface Mineral Dust Source Investigation (EMIT), was delivered to the space station in the summer of 2022. Its main purpose is to determine how dust in the atmosphere affects Earth’s climate. But it turns out this capability also enables EMIT to gather highly detailed observations of previously unknown plumes of the key greenhouse…

The world’s most important climate meeting this year is going to be headed up by one of the world’s most oil-reliant countries. It sounds like the plot of an absurdist play, but it’s reality, and the cracks are already starting to show ahead of an especially crucial year for climate action.What Is Carbon Capture? With Gizmodo’s Molly Taft | TechmodoEach year, the UN hosts what’s known as a Conference of Parties, or COP, in a different country to keep the world on track in working toward halting runaway climate change.…

Some of Europe’s largest polluters are earning windfalls from the sale of carbon credits. Their profits are an unintended consequence of generous subsidies that make up a crucial element of the region’s carbon market. A Spanish oil and gas company, a Romanian aluminum producer and two Finnish industrial businesses together sold nearly €120 million—equivalent to more than $129 million—of credits last year, according to an analysis of company disclosures. A wave of additional sales potentially worth tens of millions of…

Credit: Shutterstock Stigma is an awful burden for business. But what if—for some companies—stigma is an asset? That's what I and an international team of researchers set out to investigate in a new paper published in the Journal of Management Studies. We examined how consumers around the world responded to firms in stigmatised…

A screenshot of Climate TRACE’s tool showing enteric fermentation emissions from facilities in the U.S.Screenshot: GizmodoIf you’ve ever wondered how much methane the landfill in your neighborhood emits, there’s now a way to potentially find out. A promising new tool can zoom in on spots around the world in various industries to measure just how much greenhouse gases those locations and facilities are emitting.00:19Studenglass Kompact DemonstrationToday 4:09PMThe mapping tool, released last week at COP27 by the…

The companies most to blame for global warming should be taxed to help pay for the damage they’ve done to the planet, U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres said Tuesday during the opening session of the annual U.N. General Assembly. In a pointed speech to world leaders, the U.N. chief delivered scathing criticism of the fossil fuel industry and emphasized the need for payments to cover the cost of irreparable climate damages. “The climate crisis is a case study in moral and economic injustice,” Guterres said. He noted…