News Desk :
Bangladesh is a major contributor to the methane (greenhouse gas) that’s about 80 times more potent in its first two decades in the atmosphere than carbon dioxide, according to Kayrros SAS, a Paris-based data analyzing company.
It has said that the 12 highest methane emission rates were detected this year throughout the country.
“It has the strongest sustained emissions we have seen to date where we can’t clearly identify the source,” said Stephane Germain, President of GHGS (Greenhouse Gas
Emissions Monitoring by Satellite companies) at Inc, which also picked up the plumes.
Bluefield Technologies Inc, which analyzed European Space Agency data to identify a large methane plume in Florida in May, also detected the concentrations over Bangladesh.
“Our analysis shows that Bangladesh has some of the highest methane emissions in the world that can be detected by satellites,” said Yotam Ariel, the company’s founder.
The emissions over Bangladesh are drawing attention. Its low elevation and high population density make it particularly vulnerable to extreme weather events and rising oceans.
“We are aware of the problems and we are working to take mitigation measures,” said Shahab Uddin, Environment and Climate Change Minister of Bangladesh, in an interview recently.
Methane concentrations in Bangladesh are likely originate from a combination of sources including paddy fields, landfills, leaky natural gas pipelines and coal stockpiles, according to Kayrros.
The company uses data from the ESA’s Sentinel-5P and Sentinel-2 satellites. It ran a dispersion simulation that takes into account atmospheric conditions such as wind that can move methane plumes away from their source.
Methane is a particular concern for those working to slow the pace of climate change. The gas is odorless and colorless, making leaks extremely difficult to detect.
