How life on Earth experiences climate change

Observing Earth from space is crucial for understanding the state of our planet's health, especially in the face of climate change. It provides objective information on various variables such as deforestation, air quality, ocean health, and ice mass melting. With over 40 years of experience, Simonetta Cheli, the director of Earth observation programs at the European Space Agency (ESA) and head of the European Space Research Institute (ESRIN) in Frascati, Italy, oversees more than 20 missions monitoring our planet.

The agency has evolved significantly since Cheli's arrival in 2022, managing and planning over 40 missions in the last three weeks alone. Cooperation with other countries is essential, as climate and environmental stability cannot be achieved through national efforts alone. Cheli highlights the importance of sharing data and working with international partners to address global issues like climate change.

Despite NASA's recent budget cuts, including its Earth observation budget, Cheli believes ESA has an opportunity to fill the gap, particularly in areas where they have already led, such as emissions data. The IRIDE constellation, a network of Italian-funded Earth-observing spacecraft, is particularly noteworthy. Launched on Oct.

1, this constellation will collect data from the optical radar spectrum, supporting various user needs like civil protection and coastal monitoring.