We Have Satellite Data That Shows Climate Change is Real. What Now?

Space programs are often concerned with what's happening 'out there' in the universe, a big part of what space agencies enjoy NASA and the European Space Agency (ESA) monitor what is happening on the Earth's surface. This includes tracking things like the weather, as well as man-made causes of global warming, such as greenhouse gas emissions, deforestation and changes in seasonal ice cover in the Arctic and Antarctic regions. This is important because research has shown that human activities are indeed the main drivers of climate change.

Since 1972, the US Geological Survey Landsat Earth Observation Satellites have provided scientists and policymakers with up-to-date data on a range of features of the Earth's surface, and the picture it paints is bleak. The Earth's surface is changing rapidly: the polar ice caps are shrinking, areas of great biodiversity are being destroyed and the oceans are becoming increasingly polluted, among a host of other environmental changes.

However, given the amount and availability of data collected by satellites that inform us about the ongoing impacts of human activities on the Earth's surface, an important question must be asked: why has this knowledge not led to large-scale environmental action?

"We can monitor how much ice the Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets are losing using satellite observations of changes in their volume, ice flow or gravity. The ice sheets cover vast areas and only satellite observations can help us map how much ice they are losing and gaining," Ines Otosaka Director of Operations at the NERC Center for Polar Observation and Modeling (CPOM), to Space.com.

Related: How satellite data has proven that climate change is a climate crisis

Tools versus solutions

Space-based satellites and their ability to observe real-time changes in the atmosphere, along with mapping seasonal and gradual changes in Earth's features such as ice cover, have revolutionized the information landscape in terms of what we know about our relationship with our dynamic planet.

But the ability to witness these changes without a clear path to solving them has been frustrating for many. Karen Jones, senior policy analyst at the Center for Space Policy, suggests that one path forward increases accountability.

In a recent article Jones explains how merging satellites with land-based and airborne sensors can create an integrated Earth observation data system that can help identify problematic sources of greenhouse gas emissions, such as methane from livestock herds, leaks from fracking operations and broken gas pipelines.

To translate this data into action, Jones says, we need to work across disciplinary silos so that the space industry, policymakers, landowners, industry and civil society organizations can work together to address the problems identified by satellite climate observations.

How do we get there? Freely available, open source data encourages involved parties to be transparent and cooperate with regulators. It also generally promotes good behavior, climate-wise. Such data disclosure efforts can also empower academics, civil society groups, and citizen scientists to work with raw data in ways that can hold polluters or exploiters accountable. An example of this type of interaction is SkyTruth, a non-profit organization that provides technical expertise in satellite imagery Global fishing watch an ocean conservation organization that tracks illegal fishing activities.

The private sector also has a role to play. For example, we have known for some time that the sea ice in the Arctic is melting. This ice plays an important role in regulating the Earth's temperature by reflecting sunlight back into space. Recently a British start-up Real ice cream attempted to refreeze Arctic sea ice by pouring seawater back onto the ice to make it thicker and more resistant to melting in the summer months, with promising results.

'In addition to rising sea levels, the melting of the ice cap has far-reaching consequences for the global climate system. The ice caps are predominantly white and thus help regulate Earth's temperature by reflecting incoming heat from the sun back into space. Melting of the ice sheet could also potentially affect ocean circulation patterns," Otosaka said.

Economy and environment

The elephant in the room here really is that our energy, transportation and agriculture sectors remain dependent on fossil fuels for their energy.

To achieve large-scale transitions away from cheap but harmful forms of energy and towards renewables, you really need political will that transcends party politics (priorities often change as governments come and go), and economic incentives, especially in a global economy. which is still recovering from a global pandemic.

"Unfortunately, the timing of the political agenda sometimes does not always match the climate ambitions we should all have. To address this, we must continue our efforts to produce robust and reliable information on the ice caps and sea level rise, and communicate with the general public, stakeholders, politicians, the media and anyone interested in this topic," said Otosaka.