China launched a carbon dioxide monitoring satellite today that will trace sources of greenhouse gases. <br/><br/>It will help to evaluate whether countries are fulfilling their commitments to reduce pollutants under environmental pacts. <br/><br/>According to China's official news agency, the move will give Beijing a "louder voice" in future negotiations on carbon reduction.

China today launched a global carbon dioxide monitoring satellite to understand climate change, hours after it lifted nearly a week-long red alert for the worst smog that engulfed about 40 cities in the country.<br/><br/> The 620-kg satellite TanSat was put into orbit by Long March-2D rocket from Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre in northwest China's Gobi Desert early this morning, state-run Xinhua news agency reported. <br/><br/>This was the 243rd mission of the Long March series rockets. Besides TanSat, the rocket also carried a high-resolution micro-nano satellite and two spectrum micro-nano satellites for agricultural and forestry monitoring.<br/><br/>China is the third country after Japan and the US to monitor greenhouse gases through its own satellite. The satellite was sent into a sun synchronous orbit about 700 kms above the earth and will monitor the concentration, distribution and flow of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere.