(Reuters.) – California’s methane regulator, along with a non profit group, announced Wednesday that airborne measurements of methane plumes from oilfields, power plants, and landfills have led to a tangible reduction in greenhouse gas leakage.

43 California institutions repaired methane leaking pipes between 2017-2021. They were alerted by pilot researchers who used special-equipped planes to monitor and measure the methane in the atmosphere.

These results are evidence that the space-age technology is working in order to find large sources of methane.

Two groups announced that the solutions prevented carbon dioxide equivalent to 1.2 Million metric tons from entering the atmosphere. That is roughly 250,000 cars being taken off the roads each year. Follow-up observations confirmed the reductions.

The partnership is between Carbon Mapper and the California Air Resources Board, which is a non-profit organization. It’s an extension of work that started in 2016 at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (NYSE).

The 80-fold potency of methane is greater than carbon dioxide over its first 20 year in the atmosphere. Therefore, scientists believe that identifying the source of methane will be crucial in reducing the severe climate change impacts.

The simple truth is you cannot stop methane leaking if you don’t know the source. Richard Corey of CARB, executive officer said this research pilot shows how remote observations can identify leaks and help to inform swift actions to prevent them.

Carbon Mapper’s first satellite for methane detection will be launched next year.

Although the announcement didn’t list all facilities which mitigated methane emission, it did state that they were being considered. Sempra Energy (NYSE.) SoCalGas, a gas utility in California had responded to leaks found in a pipeline during airborne survey.