EUMETSAT joins international effort to tackle climate change

This demonstrates the long-standing relationship of trust between EUMETSAT and CNES, which leads the observatory’s secretariat.

EUMETSAT’s climate-related satellite data and products will contribute to the observatory’s goal to provide decision makers with accurate and relevant information to support resilience and adaptation measures for regions vulnerable to climate change.

The observatory has 44 members, including EUMETSAT. The organisation’s Director-General Phil Evans and CNES’s Chief Operating Officer Lionel Suchet met at EUMETSAT’s headquarters in Darmstadt to formalise the agreement.

“EUMETSAT supports the Space for Climate Observatory and its goals as the impacts of climate change are being felt globally through more frequent, extreme weather events,” Evans said. “The observatory’s emphasis on promoting international cooperation reflects our own commitment to working with partners around the world to tackle a global challenge.

“Through our involvement in the observatory, and close cooperation with the other partners, we will ensure that our data and products are disseminated as widely as possible and have the most impact.

“Detecting climate change requires homogeneous data stretching over long time periods. EUMETSAT’s calibrated climate data records now cover more than 40 years and will be of particular value to the observatory.”

CNES and EUMETSAT have declared a mutual interest in collaborating to encourage the use of satellite data for climate-related applications.

“Space offers a unique vantage point for observing our planet,” Suchet said. “Satellite technology enables highly precise measurement of many essential climate variables for understanding and adapting to climate change. By designing advanced methodologies incorporating multiple data sources to generate action scenarios, the Space for Climate Observatory intends to become a major decision support tool for preparation, adaptation and resilience to the impacts of climate change on a local scale.

“EUMETSAT's involvement in the initiative broadens the SCO’s traditional partnerships, leveraging the deployment of weather and climate monitoring services and enhancing the value of the data produced by EUMETSAT by contributing to the emergence of the observatory’s projects.

“Joining the observatory offers new opportunities to broaden the use cases of EUMETSAT climate data by developing partnerships between member states. In this respect, EUMETSAT’s membership is definitely part of the international expansion of this initiative, which is anchored in the landscape of international cooperation.”

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