Australia needs better data on methane emissions if we are serious about cutting them
The Fugitive Methane Expert Panel highlights the rapidly evolving science and technology available to detect and measure fugitive methane.
The Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering welcomes the release of the Interim Report of the Fugitive Methane Expert Panel, chaired by ATSE President and former Chief Scientist Dr Cathy Foley AO PSM FTSE FAA.
The Panel’s work highlights the rapidly evolving science and technology available to detect and measure fugitive methane, from satellites and aircraft to drones and ground-based sensors.
It finds that no single approach can currently do everything. A combination of technologies – from improved satellite monitoring to AI driven leak detection systems - tested in Australian conditions, could provide more accurate and transparent emissions estimates and help identify where action is most needed.
That aligns closely with ATSE’s recent submission to the Climate Change Authority, which called for:
• a centralised, near-real-time methane monitoring platform;
• a national framework for regular methane leak detection and repair; and
• greater investment in emerging methane monitoring and abatement technologies.
Methane is a powerful greenhouse gas, but its relatively short atmospheric lifetime means cutting methane emissions can deliver significant climate benefits in the near term.
Better measurement of methane emissions will give governments, industry and researchers the evidence they need to find emissions, reduce them and track progress.
ATSE congratulates Dr Foley and the expert panel on this important contribution to Australia’s methane science and policy and looks forward to the full report to be published in 2027.
7
AUG
2026
Submission to the inquiry into accelerating reductions in fossil methane emissions
Reducing fossil methane emissions today can have a measurable impact on warming within the next decade. This submission to the Climate Change Authority explores how Australia can accelerate methane reductions.
