IIT Bombay researchers use satellite data to track greenhouse gas emissions

New Delhi: India is among 195 nations that is a signatory to the Paris Accord, and has pledged to limit the emissions of greenhouse gases within the levels of the nationally determined contribution (NDC). The problem here is that India lacks an extensive network of ground stations to measure the emissions of atmospheric greenhouse gases such carbon dioxide and methane. To address this gap, researchers from the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay turned to satellite observations, and demonstrated that remote sensing data can be used to reliably measure the levels of carbon dioxide and methane in metro cities such as Delhi and Mumbai.

The researchers identified hotspots of emissions, observed trends of increasing levels of greenhouse gases in both cities, and were able to resolve seasona