FIGHTING
CLIMATE CHANGE FROM
SPACE The European Space Agency is using space technology to combat the effects of global warming on Earth.
Space has a surprising amount to do with climate change. In fact, space is the best vantage point for observing and analyzing climate change— that’s why, through the use of space technology, the European Space Agency has been helping to protect the planet from the ever-changing climate crisis. Since 1975, ESA member states have pushed the frontiers of science and technology to better humankind. Director of Earth’s observation programs, Josef Aschbacher, explains, “Understanding the Earth’s system and how human activity is changing the planet’s natural process is a complicated science.” Through the information collected by ESA, policymakers are informed and empowered to make practical decisions to elicit national and global change.
Sea-level monitoring satellite lifts off ©ESA - S. Corvaja
Climate change is a growing concern for mankind, and politicians and world leaders are coming to terms with its effects. Europe’s top space officials are urging other world leaders to use space exploration as a tool to inform the public, so there is a collective reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. ESA’s director-general, Jan Wörner, explains, “Space missions can show people what might happen to Earth in the future.” Venus and Mars, our two closest planetary neighbors, are examples of what could eventually happen to our planet if we waste resources and don’t correct our current habits. Being the leader in Earth observation, ESA is able to monitor the “pulse” of the planet. Offering the best vantage point, satellite images and data are used to provide key lines of scientific research. Observations of the same region, taken over time, are able to monitor the effects of climate change from space.
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