To deal with the climate changes “the space is a crucial element”. To bring into the discussion of One Planet – Polar Summit the space activities what an important piece – for the policies to protect the climate of our planet – was the Director General ofHex, Josef Aschbacher, in his speech today at the Paris summit, which was also attended by the President of the French Republic, Emmanuel Macron. In his speech, the Director General of the European Space Agency therefore underlined that the Paris summit “represents an important milestone in international cooperation to address the acceleration of changes in the polar regions, due to the rise in atmospheric and oceanic temperatures and linked to climate changes”.
“Space is a crucial element of policy and action” for the climate, so much so that “more than half of the so-called essential climate variables are based on measurements from space” recalled the ESA General Manager, highlighting that “Europe boasts one of the best operational Earth observation centers in the world, Copernicus, led by the European Union and of which ESA manages the space component”.
The data and information collected by Copernicus “are provided free of charge to you, political leaders, experts, business sectors and people in general”, information which, Aschbacher noted, “enables informed decision-making and concrete actions” e.g. “through the Accelerators”, programs “that ESA pursues” and of which one “specifically aims to use space for a green future”.
“Climate change is the greatest challenge humanity faces today. And you, the leaders of the world, are tasked with meeting this challenge to overcome this problem. We, the space community, are there to help you,” he said. Josef Aschbacher is also insured. The ESA Director General then reported that earlier this week, on the occasion of the Space Summit in Seville, he had a live conversation with “ESA astronaut Andy Mogensen, who currently commands the International Space Station” and that Mogensen reported that he is “impressed every time he looks at our planet, Earth, from above, struck by its beauty but also by its fragility.” “Together, let us take care of our magnificent and vulnerable ‘home’, for the sake of our children and generations to come. As President Macron said before ‘there is no planet B’. You have taken on an enormous responsibility, let may space lend you a hand” said the ESA CEO finally. (by Andreana d’Aquino)
#Climate #ESA #Director #Space #crucial #element