Leicester experts present methane monitoring research to the King

Climate scientists from the University of Leicester and National Centre for Earth Observation (NCEO) recently showcased their research at a reception attended by His Majesty King Charles III.

Taking place during London Climate Action Week, the event saw experts and representatives drawn from the worlds of politics, science and business gather at St James’s Palace in London to share their insights into solutions for the rapid reduction of methane and non-CO₂ pollutants.

Dr Harjinder Sembhi from Leicester’s School of Physics and Astronomy and Professor John Remedios, Executive Director of NCEO were invited to present on their work on 24 June at an exhibition stand organised by the UK Space Agency.

The event was opened by Ed Miliband MP (Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero), followed by speeches from Antonio Guterres (UN Secretary-General), The Honourable Mia Amor Mottley, Prime Minister of Barbados, and Murat Kuru, President of COP31 in Turkey.

Professor John Remedios leads the National Centre for Earth Observation, based at Space Park Leicester, the University’s £100 million space research and innovation centre. NCEO harnesses data from satellites as well as aircraft and ground-based instruments to study the Earth System and its continually changing nature, ranging from variations in atmospheric composition to the carbon content of forests.

At the event, Professor Remedios discussed with the King the ability of satellites to detect methane and their importance, as well as the role of both public sector and commercial instruments. 

Professor Remedios said: “Focussing on methane reduction offers a rapid intervention which would limit decadal greenhouse gas warming if undertaken with international agreement. Current directions will otherwise lead to markedly increasing costs from lost productivity to adaptation measures. Co-working with business is helping and will lead to robust monitoring and sustainable industry-agreed practice.”

Dr Sembhi is part of the Earth Observation Science group also based at Space Park Leicester. By taking advantage of data and imagery from satellites, the scientists can monitor greenhouse gases such as methane and CO₂ in an effort to tackle environmental issues such as climate change and air pollution.

The group is involved in or leading a number of projects mapping methane emissions from space and using the data to support organisations in mitigating their emissions, such as the ESA MEDUSA and METRICS projects. Methane is a major greenhouse gas and a significant target for mitigation of global warming.

Dr Harjinder Sembhi said: “It was a real honour to attend this event during London Climate Action Week. It was motivating to see a diverse array of organisations, from NGOs, Earth Observation companies, governments and academia working towards a common goal of mitigating anthropogenic methane emissions.”