Space Policy and Climate Change

NASA's Earth Science Division has a dedicated program called the Climate Change and Sea Level Rise Program, which conducts research and develops technologies to monitor and understand climate change and its impacts.

Space-based technologies, such as satellites and remote sensing instruments, can provide valuable data for monitoring various aspects of climate change, including greenhouse gas concentrations, sea level and ice cover changes, and changes in vegetation and land use.

Radiometers are instruments that measure the Earth's surface temperature by detecting the thermal radiation emitted by the Earth's surface.

Space-based technologies can be used to monitor changes in air quality, track the spread of vector-borne diseases, and study the effects of extreme weather events on human populations, providing valuable information for public health and policy-making.

Space policy can contribute to the implementation of the Paris Agreement by promoting the use of space-based technologies for climate change monitoring and mitigation, supporting research and development of space-based technologies for climate change adaptation, and encouraging international cooperation on space-based climate change initiatives.

NASA's Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) mission is a satellite mission designed to study the carbon cycle and its role in climate change by measuring carbon dioxide concentrations in the atmosphere.

Space-based technologies can contribute to climate change mitigation by enabling the development of renewable energy sources, improving energy efficiency, and supporting sustainable land use practices.

ESA's Climate Change Initiative (CCI) is a program dedicated to developing and demonstrating technologies for climate change adaptation, such as satellite-based monitoring systems and decision support tools.

Space-based technologies can contribute to climate change adaptation by providing early warning systems for extreme weather events, supporting the development of resilient infrastructure, and enabling the monitoring of vulnerable ecosystems.

NASA's Ocean Melting Greenland (OMG) mission is a satellite mission designed to study the impacts of climate change on Greenland's ice sheet and its contribution to sea level rise.

Space-based technologies can contribute to understanding the impacts of climate change on Earth's cryosphere by measuring changes in ice sheet thickness, tracking the extent of sea ice, and monitoring the melting of glaciers.

NASA's Global Ecosystem Dynamics Investigation (GEDI) mission is a satellite mission designed to study the structure and dynamics of Earth's forests and their role in the global carbon cycle.

Space-based technologies can contribute to understanding the impacts of climate change on Earth's biodiversity by monitoring changes in vegetation cover, tracking the distribution of species, and studying the effects of climate change on ecosystems.

NASA's GRACE-FO mission is a satellite mission designed to study Earth's water resources, including changes in groundwater storage, sea level, and ice sheet mass.