What is MARS?
IMEO’s Methane Alert and Response System (MARS) is the first public global satellite detection and notification system providing actionable data on very large methane emissions around the world. Using data from more than a dozen satellite instruments, coupled with scientific expertise and advanced AI, IMEO notifies governments and companies of emissions to enable swift mitigation action.
The UN Environment Programme launched MARS at COP27 in 2022 to accelerate implementation of the Global Methane Pledge. The system leverages UNEP’s global reach across governments, civil society and the private sector to put data in the hands of stakeholders who can use it to drive down methane emissions.
MARS has rapidly expanded its network of country focal points and developed advanced AI systems to quickly analyze large amounts of satellite data. MARS notifications have already led to demonstrated methane emissions mitigation.
MARS observations and notifications can be viewed on the Eye on Methane data platform.
While MARS is primarily focused on emissions in the oil and gas sector, it is also progressively expanding detection capabilities in the coal and waste sectors.
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MARS History
MARS was announced at the 27th United Nations Climate Change Conference in November 2022 and began its initial pilot phase in January 2023. The pilot phase presented an opportunity for IMEO to engage with partners, countries and operators to refine MARS processes and procedures before making data public.
MARS became fully operational in January 2024. Data is now publicly shared via the Eye on Methane data platform: https://methanedata.unep.org
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How does IMEO engage external partners via MARS?
In implementing MARS, UNEP collaborates with a range of institutional partners, including the International Energy Agency, the World Bank and the UNEP-convened Climate and Clean Air Coalition.
IMEO also maintains close coordination with data partners, such as the Netherlands Institute for Space Research (SRON) and the Polytechnic University of Valencia (UPV), and receives support from the Committee on Earth Observation Satellites (CEOS).
In the private sector, companies that are members of UNEP’s Oil and Gas Methane Partnership 2.0 (OGMP 2.0) receive direct MARS notifications. In addition, member companies provide operational insights that help improve the MARS attribution process so that data is actionable.
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MARS mitigation stories
Since launching in 2022, MARS has catalyzed and verified mitigation across four continents.
These cases of MARS data being put into action demonstrate the potential for rapid progress across the oil and gas sector to address super-emitters with available data.
