China launches carbon dioxide monitoring satellite

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BEIJING: China on Thursday launched a satellite to monitor carbon dioxide levels, state media said, making the Asian giant the third country to track the potent contributor to global warming from space.

The TanSat probe will allow China to keep a close eye on greenhouse gas emissions and give it a “louder voice” in future negotiations on carbon reduction, according to the official Xinhua news agency.

The technology will “trace the sources of greenhouse gases and help evaluate whether countries are fulfilling their commitments” to reduce pollutants under environmental pacts, it said.

China is a signatory to the Paris climate change agreement, the first universal action plan for curbing global warming.