Image courtesy NASA GSFC
The Group on Earth Observations (GEO) has released a new report on ‘GHG Monitoring from Space: A mapping of capabilities across public, private and hybrid satellite missions’.
The report — prepared on behalf of GEO, the Climate TRACE consortium, and the World Geospatial Industry Council (WGIC) — was officially launched at the Earth Information Day in the context of the UN Climate Change Conference COP26 in Glasgow.
The report and the database that underpins it are meant to represent the first joint systematic effort by Earth observation data providers from the public and private sectors to map the current and upcoming satellite missions that monitor greenhouse gases (GHGs).
This effort aims to raise awareness among decision makers of the existing and emerging capabilities to track GHGs in the lead up to the first Global Stocktake of the Paris Agreement in 2023.
More accurate monitoring will lead to more reliable reporting by governments and companies, and stronger mitigation policies at all levels.
The report is a direct outcome of the joint ‘Forum on Innovation in Remote Sensing Technologies for Accelerated Climate Action’ held on 14 December 2020, sponsored by the UK High-Level Climate Action Champion, Nigel Topping, and former US Vice President, Al Gore.
It also complements the recent white paper ‘Space for Net Zero’ by the World Economic Forum (WEF)/Global Future Council on Space.
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