The Satellite Helping Slow Climate Change — Right Now | Millie Chu Baird | TED

Translator: Alejandro Gomez Pazo Reviewer: traduceTED USC

Lots of people are really enthusiastic about space.

A moitas persoas entusiásmaas o espazo.

My husband, my daughters and a lot of my colleagues

O meu marido, as miñas fillas e moitos dos meus compañeiros

love rockets and pretty much anything that has to do with space.

adoran os foguetes e case todo o que ten que ver co espazo.

It's never really been my thing.

Isto realmente nunca foi o meu.

However, I recently went to a rocket launch,

Porén, hai pouco fun ao lanzamento dun foguete

and I can honestly say that I got emotional.

e podo dicir, sinceramente, que me emocionei.

And the emotion that I felt wasn't just thrill or awe.

E esa emoción non foi só entusiasmo ou abraio.

It was hope.

Foi esperanza.

Because my colleagues and I helped put something on that rocket

Porque os meus compañeiros e eu axudamos a pór algo nese foguete

that will address the single most important thing we can do

que abordará o máis importante que podemos facer

to affect climate change in our lifetimes.

para frear o cambio climático durante o transcurso das nosas vidas.

We often hear about things we can do to help our grandchildren

Acotío oímos cousas que podemos facer para axudarmos os nosos netos

and the Earth that they'll inherit.

e a Terra que herdarán.

And everything we're doing to reduce carbon dioxide

Todo o que facemos para reducir o dióxido de carbono

will certainly help in the long run.

que axudará a longo prazo.

But what if we could do something that would help people's lives now?

Pero e se puidésemos facer algo que mellore a vida das persoas agora?

I believe we can, because we're taking on methane.

Eu creo que podemos, porque nos estamos centrando no metano.

Methane is a highly potent short-term greenhouse gas.

O metano é un gas de efecto invernadoiro moi potente a curto prazo.

Let's compare this year's carbon dioxide pollution from burning fossil fuels

Comparemos a contaminación de CO₂ pola queima de combustíbeis fósiles

with this year's methane pollution.

coa contaminación por metano deste ano.

There is a lot more CO2.

Hai moito máis CO₂.

However,

Non obstante,

because methane is over 80 times as powerful at trapping heat

como o metano atrapa 80 veces máis calor

in the short term,

en períodos curtos,

methane will cause as much warming as all that CO2.

o metano causará tanto quecemento como todo o CO₂.

And methane is easier to control if we know where it's coming from.

O metano é máis sinxelo de controlar se coñecemos a súa orixe.

So what was on that rocket that makes me so hopeful?

Entón, que había nese foguete para espertar a miña esperanza?

This is MethaneSAT.

O MethaneSAT.

It's one of thousands of active satellites orbiting the Earth.

É un dos milleiros de satélites activos que orbitan arredor da Terra.

But it's my favorite.

É o meu favorito,

Not just because we helped put it there,

non só porque axudamos a polo alí,

but because we designed it for a purpose to have a profound impact on methane.

senón porque o deseñamos cun propósito: ter un fondo impacto no metano.

And soon.

E axiña.

For the past 20 years,

Nos últimos 20 anos,

my job has been to understand climate from a variety of angles,

o meu traballo foi comprender o clima desde varios ángulos,

to be a bridge between scientists, policymakers and companies,

actuar como ponte entre científicos, lexisladores e empresas,

ensuring that we're all working towards the same big vision.

para asegurarme de que todos traballemos na mesma gran visión.

And the vision for MethaneSAT is to deliver actionable data quickly,

A visión de MethaneSAT é entregar datos útiles axiña

putting it in the hands of people in the trenches pushing for change.

e poñelos en mans de persoas que loitan polo cambio.

Now methane comes from several sources.

O metano provén de varias fontes:

It comes from cows,

provén das vacas,

it comes from landfills,

dos vertedoiros,

it comes from coal mines.

das minas de carbón…

And a lot of it comes from leaks from the oil and gas infrastructure.

Moito provén de fugas nas infraestruturas de petróleo e gas.

For a while, we've known

Xa hai tempo que sabemos

what the overall concentration of methane is in the atmosphere,

cal é a concentración xeral de metano na atmosfera,

but we haven't been able to pinpoint sources

pero non fomos quen de identificar as fontes

and tell how much was coming from where.

e dicir canto vén de cada lugar.

In fact, companies and governments often underreport their emissions

De feito, as empresas e os gobernos adoitan informar menos das súas emisións

because they simply haven't had good data.

simplemente porque non teñen datos.

But now they will.

Pero agora teranos.

When we looked at the data we were collecting using airplanes,

Cando observamos os datos que recompilamos empregando avións,

we realized that we would never get a comprehensive enough view.

démonos conta de que nunca teriamos unha visión o suficientemente completa.

We simply cannot fly an airplane over every oil and gas field

Non podemos pór a voar un avión sobre cada campo de petróleo ou gas

in the world every day.

do mundo todos os días.

We realized that we needed to be collecting our data

Decatámonos de que precisabamos recompilar os datos

using a satellite.

cun satélite.

And that satellite would need spectrometers that did not yet exist.

Este satélite precisaba espectrómetros que aínda non existían,

So we went to the world's most innovative instrument experts,

así que acudimos aos máis innovadores expertos en instrumentos do mundo

and they helped us build two spectrometers

e axudáronnos a construír dous espectrómetros

that would allow us to see methane emissions

que permiten comprobar as emisións de metano

from 590 kilometers away, from space.

desde 590 quilómetros de distancia, desde o espazo.

They had to develop a new manufacturing technique

Tiveron que desenvolver unha nova técnica de fabricación

to create a prism that would allow us to see

para crear un prisma que nos permitise ver

how even the smallest concentrations of methane interact with light.

como interactúan coa luz as concentracións máis pequenas de metano.

It's pretty amazing.

É bastante sorprendente.

To give you a sense of the power of MethaneSAT,

Para ter unha idea do poder do MethaneSAT,

I'd like to show you some images

gustaríame amosar algunhas imaxes

that will show how we'll see methane from oil and gas.

que nos ensinan como poderemos ver o metano do petróleo e o gas.

We'll be able to zoom in and out

Poderemos achegar ou afastar o zoom

and circle back weekly to see how emissions have changed.

e volver cada semana para ver como mudaron as emisións.

MethaneSAT will show the total picture,

MethaneSAT amosará a imaxe xeral,

not just point sources or large leaks,

non só fontes puntuais ou grandes fugas,

but also the smaller, more spread-out sources

senón tamén as fontes máis pequenas e dispersas

that actually make up the majority of emissions most of the time.

que constitúen a maioría das emisións a meirande parte do tempo.

MethaneSAT will show how much methane is coming from where over time.

MethaneSAT amosará canto metano chega e de onde ao longo do tempo.

Now you're the first to see this data.

Vós sodes os primeiros en ver estes datos.

It's raw data that came from the satellite.

Son datos brutos do satélite.

It's spectral imagery.

É unha imaxe espectral.

But after we do our analysis on it,

Pero, despois de levar a cabo a nosa análise,

we still have to solve a people challenge and change human behavior.

queda resolver un reto para a poboación: mudar o seu comportamento.

So we'll put our analysis directly in the hands of those

Para iso, poremos as nosas análises directamente nas mans das persoas

who can take action to reduce methane from oil and gas.

que poden tomar medidas para reducir o metano do petróleo e o gas.

That would be government regulators,

Serán os reguladores gobernamentais,

the companies themselves

as propias empresas

and nonprofits who will be receiving our data at no cost.

e as organizacións sen fins lucrativos que recibirán os nosos datos sen custo.

Fixing leaks is actually not a technical challenge.

Arranxar fugas non é, realmente, un desafío técnico.

Often it's as easy as fixing a crack in a pipe.

Adoita ser tan sinxelo como arranxar unha greta nunha tubaxe.

Companies know how to do this.

As empresas saben como facelo.

It's just a matter of priority.

Só é unha cuestión de prioridades.

And that's what I mean by a people challenge.

E isto é ao que me refiro co desafío para a poboación.

Environmental Defense Fund is taking this on.

O Environmental Defense Fund está abordando este asunto.

As the first environmental nonprofit to own and operate a satellite,

Trátase da primeira organización ambiental non lucrativa en ter e operar un satélite.

we are supporting both the technology and the advocacy.

Estamos apoiando tanto a tecnoloxía como a defensa dos dereitos.

MethaneSAT would not exist without generous donors,

MethaneSAT non existiría sen a contribución de xenerosos doantes,

some of whom are a part of this TED community.

algúns dos cales son parte desta comunidade de TED.

We'd like to thank you for your belief in our mission.

Gustaríanos agradecerlles a súa confianza na nosa misión.

We'd also like to thank government entities

Tamén queremos dar as grazas ás entidades gobernamentais

like the New Zealand Space Agency,

como a Axencia Espacial de Nova Zelandia,

who have invested in MethaneSAT to build their space capacity,

que investiron en MethaneSAT para desenvolver a súa capacidade espacial

but also to better understand methane emissions from agriculture.

mais tamén para comprender mellor as emisións de metano da agricultura.

With powerful data and boots on the ground,

Con datos potentes e traballo sobre o terreo,

our goal is to reduce methane emissions from oil and gas facilities

a nosa meta é reducir a emisión de metano das instalacións de petróleo e gas

by 75 percent

un 75 %

in the next six years.

nos próximos seis anos.

That's 75 percent.

Iso é un 75 %.

(Applause)

(Aplausos)

It's a lot, and we have momentum.

É moito e temos o impulso para facelo.

Fifty companies representing 40 percent of global oil and gas production

Cincuenta empresas que representan o 40 % da produción mundial de petróleo e gas

have already pledged to cut their methane emissions by 90 percent

xa se comprometeron a reducir as súas emisións de metano un 90 %

by 2030.

para 2030.

(Applause)

(Aplausos)

Over 150 countries have signed the Global Methane Pledge

Máis de 150 países xa asinaron o Compromiso Global do Metano

to be a part of the solution.

para ser parte da solución.

Purchasers can also influence sellers.

Os compradores tamén poden influír nos vendedores.

The largest importer of natural gas in the world,

A maior compradora de gas natural do mundo,

the European Union,

a Unión Europea,

is already taking steps to extend its rules

xa está dando os primeiros pasos para ampliar a súa normativa,

to apply to imports

aplicala ás importacións

and setting in place rules that will allow them to buy from suppliers

e marcar as regras que permitan mercar a provedores

that have the least methane emissions.

que teñan as menores emisións de metano.

And MethaneSAT will help track all of that.

MethaneSAT axudará nese proceso.

It's powerful when countries and companies have this knowledge,

É moi útil cando os países e as empresas teñen este coñecemento,

but it's even more powerful when we all have the knowledge,

pero aínda o é máis cando o temos todos,

because it provides the information and the incentive

porque proporciona a información e o incentivo

for people to fulfill their commitments.

para que as persoas cumpran os seus compromisos.

This kind of radical transparency changes the dynamic.

Este tipo de transparencia radical muda as dinámicas.

It's what makes me hopeful, and I hope you share that feeling as well.

Isto é o que me dá máis esperanza e agardo que compartades ese sentimento.

With MethaneSAT in space and the power of people on Earth,

Con MethaneSAT no espazo e o poder das persoas na Terra,

let's do everything we can as quickly as we can

faremos todo o posíbel, o máis rápido posíbel,

to slow the rate of global warming in our lifetimes.

para reducir a taxa de quecemento global durante as nosas vidas.

Thank you.

Grazas.

(Applause)

(Aplausos)