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The Orbiter: Climate Sensing
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Climate Sensing

Making Sense of the Climate Emergency

By Robert Bell, Executive Director

American author and humorist Mark Twain once observed how many conversations begin with a mention of the weather. And that peeved him. Everybody talks about the weather, he complained, but nobody does anything about it.

For those with eyes to see and ears to hear, the days of talking about the weather and not doing anything about it are waning fast. I’m referring, of course, to the climate change emergency. As we move from the dire early warnings of scientists to the lived experience of disturbing and destructive weather, even those who would really, really, really like to ignore and dismiss it are finding doubt creeping in.

Mark Twain

Climate Sensing

So, it is a good time to ask again what we can do about it. For the past seven weeks, SSPI has been asking that question in our Climate Sense campaign. Our followers have heard from NASA and the Environmental Defense Fund. They have assessed agricultural risks with a precision-agriculture entrepreneur and a venture investor. And they have heard the unique perspective on the Earth that astronaut Nicole Stott gained in her service aboard ISS.

In videos and podcasts and live online conversations, we have explored the essential contributions of satellite to understanding and taking action. The good news is how extraordinarily much is being done to reveal climate change in stark detail as it is happening. Optical, radar and hyperspectral imaging deliver regional and global portraits of a planet under siege from the rising concentration of greenhouse gases (GHGs). These technologies are also demonstrating the new ability of our industry to innovate at rates closer to that of Moore’s famous law, thanks to inexpensive smallsat designs and much cheaper launch options. Increasingly, there is nowhere for deforestation, emissions and pollution to hide. You may be worried about the growth of surveillance on our streets. But in orbit – what’s not to like?

Doing Something About It

Knowledge breeds action. It is easy for the operators of refineries and pipelines to ignore invisible methane leaks today. But when satellites can quickly and accurately track the release of this powerful GHG and companies can calculate just how much revenue they are losing every day, action will follow. When insurance companies in partnership with space data analytics firms can properly price the risks of rising sea level, subsiding land and natural disasters, entrenched practices will change.

Satellite communications has its own role to play in reducing emissions. Satellite-delivered IoT applications are doing everything from optimizing fuel consumption by ships to monitoring wind turbines and helping scientists test wave and tidal power systems for real commercial potential.

Earth from Space

Will it be enough to avert the slow-motion disaster that many of us fear? Not by itself. But we can take immense pride in our industry’s contribution to making what has been invisible and deniable into the visible and meaningful. And I must take a moment to thank the companies that helped us make the industry’s contributions more visible, including:

  • Podcasts sponsor SatSure
  • Better Satellite World video sponsors Kymeta, Planet and KSAT
  • SSPI Corporate Partners Access Intelligence, Hughes and Echostar, K&L Gates, Northrop Grumman and Airbus OneWeb Satellites

In this issue of The Orbiter, we gather together all the content of Climate Sense for your education and enjoyment. We also offer new perspectives and examples of our industry in action. May you find inspiration from it to continue the industry’s vital work.

For more Climate Sense content, click “Next”

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