The United Nations has expanded its methane monitoring system to include coal mines and waste facilities after satellite data identified an Indian landfill among the world’s largest methane emitters.

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• United Nations Environment Programme expanded its Methane Alert and Response System (MARS) to monitor methane emissions from coal mines and waste management facilities worldwide.
• The expansion followed satellite analysis identifying an Indian landfill, linked to Mumbai’s Kanjurmarg site, among the world’s top three methane-emitting locations.
• Methane is over 80 times more powerful than carbon dioxide over a 20-year period, making rapid methane reduction critical for slowing global warming.
• MARS uses data from more than 35 satellites to detect methane “super-emitters” and alerts governments and industries so corrective action can be taken quickly.
• Among the world’s top 50 methane emitters identified by UNEP, 22 were coal mines while 11 were waste facilities or landfill sites.
• Satellite-based studies also identified landfill sites in Secunderabad and Mumbai among the world’s 25 largest methane-emitting waste disposal areas.
• Since its launch in 2023, MARS has helped detect and mitigate 41 methane super-emitter sources across 11 countries, significantly reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
• UNEP and the International Energy Agency also launched a MARS Response Blueprint and a Coal Methane Database to improve methane tracking, reporting, and mitigation globally.