One environmental group thinks it knows how to measure the invisible. And if the Obama administration wants to combat climate change, it says what it’s doing deserves a look.

The Environmental Defense Fund and Google started a project that maps natural gas leaks in Staten Island, Indianapolis and Boston, which form just a snippet of the 1.24 million miles of pipelines that deliver the fuel to homes and businesses. In a new methodology, it also helps determine the amount that escapes into the atmosphere from each leak.