A methane plume can now become a public image

Methane absorbs infrared light at particular wavelengths. Instruments in orbit can detect that spectral signature and, under suitable cloud, surface and plume conditions, estimate unusually large releases from oil and gas facilities, mines or waste sites. What once depended mainly on inventories can sometimes be observed from above and linked to a location.

Not every leak is visible: detection thresholds, wind, cloud and revisit timing leave gaps, while estimates carry uncertainty. A satellite does not repair a valve or settle responsibility. One possible future is faster enforcement because repeated observations make large events harder to ignore. Another is a flood of alerts without local capacity to investigate. Measurement changes the politics only when institutions act.