SDG 13 - Climate action | Space4Water Portal

Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts

Climate change is now affecting every country on every continent. It is disrupting national economies and affecting lives, costing people, communities and countries dearly today and even more tomorrow. Weather patterns are changing, sea levels are rising, weather events are becoming more extreme and greenhouse gas emissions are now at their highest levels in history. Without action, the world’s average surface temperature is likely to surpass 3 degrees centigrade this century. The poorest and most vulnerable people are being affected the most.

Affordable, scalable solutions are now available to enable countries to leapfrog to cleaner, more resilient economies. The pace of change is quickening as more people are turning to renewable energy and a range of other measures that will reduce emissions and increase adaptation efforts. Climate change, however, is a global challenge that does not respect national borders. It is an issue that requires solutions that need to be coordinated at the international level to help developing countries move toward a low-carbon economy.

To strengthen the global response to the threat of climate change, countries adopted the Paris Agreement at the COP21 in Paris, which went into force in November of 2016. In the agreement, all countries agreed to work to limit global temperature rise to well below 2 degrees centigrade. As of April 2018, 175 parties had ratified the Paris Agreement and 10 developing countries had submitted their first iteration of their national adaptation plans for responding to climate change.

Climate Summit 2019

The Secretary-General will convene a Climate Summit in September 2019 to bring climate action to the top of the international agenda. Mr. Luis Alfonso de Alba, a former Mexican diplomat, will be his Special Envoy to lead its preparations.

The Summit will focus on the heart of the problem – the sectors that create the most emissions and the areas where building resilience could make the biggest difference – as well as provide leaders and partners the opportunity to demonstrate real climate action and showcase their ambition.

To read about the commitments that regions, cities, businesses, investors and civil society pledged during the Global Climate Action Summit in California, September 2018, click here.

Facts and Figures

As of April 2018, 175 parties had ratified the Paris Agreement and 168 parties had communicated their first nationally determined contributions to the UN framework convention on Climate Change Secretariat.
As of April 2018, 10 developing countries had successfully completed and submitted their first iteration of their national adaptation plans for responding to climate change.
Developed country parties continue to make progress towards the goal of jointly mobilizing $100 billion annually by 2020 for mitigation actions.

Thanks to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change we know:

From 1880 to 2012, average global temperature increased by 0.85°C. To put this into perspective, for each 1 degree of temperature increase, grain yields decline by about 5 per cent. Maize, wheat and other major crops have experienced significant yield reductions at the global level of 40 megatons per year between 1981 and 2002 due to a warmer climate.
Oceans have warmed, the amounts of snow and ice have diminished and sea level has risen.From 1901 to 2010, the global average sea level rose by 19 cm as oceans expanded due to warming and ice melted. The Arctic’s sea ice extent has shrunk in every successive decade since 1979, with 1.07 million km² of ice loss every decade
Given current concentrations and on-going emissions of greenhouse gases, it is likely that by the end of this century, the increase in global temperature will exceed 1.5°C compared to 1850 to 1900 for all but one scenario. The world’s oceans will warm and ice melt will continue. Average sea level rise is predicted as 24 – 30cm by 2065 and 40-63cm by 2100. Most aspects of climate change will persist for many centuries even if emissions are stopped
Global emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2) have increased by almost 50 per cent since 1990
Emissions grew more quickly between 2000 and 2010 than in each of the three previous decades
It is still possible, using a wide array of technological measures and changes in behavior, to limit the increase in global mean temperature to two degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels
Major institutional and technological change will give a better than even chance that global warming will not exceed this threshold

* Acknowledging that the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change is the primary international, intergovernmental forum for negotiating the global response to climate change.

Space-based Technologies for SDG 13

Climate-related hazards can damage societies and economies worldwide. Satellites help monitor climate variables such as greenhouse gases, sea-level and deforestation. UNOOSA strengthens resilience to climate-related hazards and natural disasters, including by increasing access to space-based information for all countries through UN-SPIDER. Read more here.

SDG 13 Targets

Graphic displaying the strengthening of resilience and adaptive capacity to climate-related hazards and natural disasters

Graphic displaying the integration of climate change measures into policies and planning

Graphic displaying the building of knowledge and capacity to meet climate change

Graphic displaying the implementation of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change

Graphic displaying the promotion of mechanisms for raising capacity for climate planning and management

Learn more about the SDGs

Describe experience relating to water and space technologies

I grew up in a country (France) where water is freely available. The drought in 2003 was considered a one-time event. I had no single lesson on climate change at school. Despite this background, I was raised aware of the links between social and environmental inequality on a global scale.

European Space Agency’s “Water Scarcity” Kick-Start

The challenge

Water is one of the most important substances on Earth and covers 70% of the planet. However, freshwater makes up a very small fraction with 97% being saline and ocean-based. While the amount of freshwater on the planet has remained fairly constant over time, the world’s population has exploded, meaning that freshwater is threatened by significant forces, like overdevelopment, polluted runoff, and global warming.

Interview with Egline Tauya, Head of the Environment and Water Institute at SARDC

Photo of Egline Tauya handing over the Zambezi Atlas to a Member State

Egline Tauya has focussed her career on natural resource management, after growing up in a rural area and learning to value such resources from a young age. Her work has been based in Africa and has included the use space technologies to map flood risks and vulnerable areas around the Zambezi and Limpopo River basins. Egline develops Environmental Outlooks as part of her work, which are reports that provide an integrated assessment of the state and trends of key environmental resources, such as freshwater, forest, and wildlife. Egline strongly believes in the integration of indigenous knowledges into water resource management and the crucial, but currently limited use of remote sensing in groundwater monitoring.

Interview with Malek Abdulfailat

Malek Abdulfailat has over 10 years of experience mapping and coordinating water-related projects in Palestine, Israel, and Jordon. He is currently leading a new consultation firm working on three projects: Green businesses and Water, EcoTourism and Water, and Solid waste management through women leaders. He has experience using several different space based technologies including spatial analysis and water elevation mapping. He’s realises the importance of space based technologies and believes that one factor needed to unlock their true potential is by increasing access to such tools and by better communicating their potential to policy makers.

Interview with Mina Konaka, Satellite engineer at JAXA

Mina Konaka works at the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) as a satellite engineer and is currently working on the satellite ALOS-4, which can detect changes in groundwater on land. She attended the International Space University, participating in the project AWARE (Adapting to Water and Air Realities on Earth), in which participants aimed to provide solutions for flood and air quality risks due to climate change, using earth observation data and ground-based sensors. Mina feels strongly about the need to talk more globally about water management solutions, rather than on an individual country basis. Mina also hopes that in the future there will be more female engineers who pursue dreams of space, and that gender balance is no longer an issue.

Interview with Sarhan Zerouali

Sarhan Zerouali became fascinated with water at a young age through learning about water scarcity around the world and about traditional methods for locating groundwater. In a space applications course Sahran then learnt about space-based technologies. He is currently working on a research project on how remote sensing and other technologies can help alleviate global challenges arising from land degradation. As an aerospace engineer, Sahran has worked with various modern technologies in his work including nanosatellites, artificial intelligence, and feature extraction algorithms.

Interview with Valdilene Silva Siqueira

Valdilene Siqueira has a diverse background in chemistry and environmental engineering and is currently pursing a master’s degree in Sustainable Territorial Development. Her work and experience has always been closely tied to water management and sanitation. She believes that access to water and ensuring the sustainable management of water resources in a fast-paced changing world are two of the most important challenges for the coming years. Valdilene feels that achieving mutual understanding on how to manage this resource, especially in water-scarce regions, is a real challenge for decision-makers but considers that an intersectoral, integrated and participatory approach is capable of bringing stakeholders together to reconcile their different interests and build collective solutions. 

Interview with Ruvimbo Samanga

Ruvimbo Samanga, despite her age, has vast experience in the law, space, and water sectors. She is presently involved in a regional study on the integration of GIS and statistical information in Zimbabwe, working towards the promulgation of GIS standards and legislation to support a National Spatial Data Infrastructure (NSDI). Ruvimbo is excited by the merging of sustainable development for water management with space technologies because it is scalable, environmentally friendly, and cost-effective over the long run. Ruvimbo feels strongly that space technologies have a role to play in policy and legal affairs, and also sees potential especially in the use of emerging technologies such as block chain, artificial intelligence (AI) and quantum computing.

Wetlands conservation: How satellite observation supports sustainable wetland management

Pelicans in the Danube Delta, Photo by Florin Tomozei.

On 2 February 2020, we celebrate World Wetlands Day to raise global awareness about the vital role of wetlands for people and our planet. This year’s edition highlights the connection between water, wetlands, and life.

A hidden secret that becomes water: Monitoring Patagonian Glacier Retreat

15 km2 glacier retreat in the last 35 years visualized on map.

It was not long ago, in 1916, that the explorer Padre De Agostini surveyed part of the topography of the Escondidos glaciers (“hidden glaciers”, in English) in Patagonia (De Agostini, 1949). Today, space technology such as NASA’s ICESat Missions and Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM) data, allow to monitor changes in glaciers over time.

Floods in Sudan - Space-based Flood Monitoring to Support Disaster Risk Management

In 2019, floods caused 43.5% of all deaths due to natural disasters and thereby represent the deadliest type of disaster with an increasing number of events compared to previous years (CRED, 2019). Floods furthermore lead to the highest number of people affected compared to other disasters as they affect human activities and the economy (CRED, 2019; Elagib et al. 2019).

Remote sensing in managing, maintaining, and understanding coral reef ecosystems

Coral reefs provide integral services to social, economic, and ecological systems. They support more than 500 million livelihoods worldwide and account for 15% of gross domestic product in more than 20 countries. A quarter of all marine species on planet Earth, representing 28 of the 35 animal phyla, can be found in coral reefs, and novel compounds derived from these organisms provide numerous useful medicinal applications.

Interview with Prof. Hesham El-Askary

Prof. Hesham El-Askary works at Chapman University in the Earth Systems Science Data Solutions (ESsDs) lab. Here, he supervises students on the use of satellite earth observations for topics including agriculture, water resources, air quality and climate action, and makes use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML). Prof. El-Askary is researching natural and anthropogenic pollution’s influence on the environment and is particularly interested in the concept of “glocal” impact—how what’s happening globally in terms of climate affects us locally. He believes that one of the biggest challenges in implementing sustainable water management is the lack of data to monitor progress, and advocates for space technologies to mitigates this shortage.  

Monitoring Precipitation from Space

Global Precipitation Measurements Constellations

In recent years, with the rapid development of satellite-based Earth observation technologies, more and more quasi-global satellite products observe the Earth.

Women, water and space: The first geospatial rally for women in rural aqueducts

Can you imagine a group of young women empowering other women using geospatial technology? From July 10 to 13 July 2019 in the First Geospatial Rally for Women in Rural Aqueducts took place, where 30 women from very different contexts met with the same goal, to build an empowering space, in the Nicoya Campus (north of Costa Rica) of the University of Costa Rica (UCR). This was done with the intention to learn from each other.

Interview with Marie-Françoise Voidrot, Europe Director of the Innovation Program at OGC

Marie-Françoise Voidrot: Courtesy of Bente Lijla Bye

Marie-Francoise Voidrot studied meteorology and therefore knows the importance of satellite technology in predicting and monitoring weather patterns. She worked specifically on the integration of information needed by forecaster’s specialized decision tool using WMO standards for many years. Marie-Francoise is now the European Director of the innovation program at the Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC). She finds her work fascinating, as it is useful for the sustainability of humankind and for business development and any improvement is very quickly adopted and implemented.

Space-Based Radioglaciology: Refining Climate Models and Monitoring Ice

About 40% of the World’s population lives within 100 km of the coast (United Nations 2017). Sea levels are on the rise around the World and the trend is accelerating every year. The UN, countless international organizations and national agencies are working hard every year to support the efforts of climate scientists to accurately model our changing climate. The role of ice in shaping the Earth’s seas is indisputable. As continental ice melts and as ice sheets break off from continental shelves and fall into the sea, more and more coastal communities are threatened.

Urban Water Scarcity: How data from NASA’s GRACE-FO Mission can be used for (near) real time water management

As population becomes larger the demand for water soars, including water needed for domestic, industrial and municipal uses (Mogelgaard 2011). One example of that, is India, where on 20 June 2019 the city of Chennai almost run out of water. Satellite images show the extent of the water shortage in the city (figure 1). While people are queuing up to get water from water trucks that transfer water to the city, the greatest struggle is taking place in the city’s municipal buildings and businesses. Hospitals are facing the threat of not having enough water to treat patients and to clean equipment, and businesses are forced to shut down and wait until the crisis is over.

The impact of space-based internet communications constellations on water

Imagine a world where your internet is delivered not through cables or cell towers but a vast swarm of orbiting satellites. That world is a very different place. Political borders are no longer communication boundaries. Your phone works just as well in the US as it does in Nigeria and Australia and Cambodia. You can communicate with people on the other side of the planet near the physical limits of information transmission, unconstrained by slow cable networks.

Leveraging space technologies to monitor plastic pollution in oceans

Figure 1: “Dolphin plastic bag at Fernando de Noronha”, Source: CC by Jedimentat44

Several ongoing projects are trying to detect plastic pollution in oceans by using Space technology

The ocean is where life began. It is home to the majority of the Earth’s plants and animals. However, there is currently another habitant endangering all species living under and above water. Humans included. The habitant is called “Plastic”. Plastic’s largest market is packaging designed for immediate disposal (Sigogneau-Russell, 2003).

Arctic lakes from space

The 2021 UN Climate Change Conference - COP26 Event

The 2021 UN Climate Change Conference - COP26

The 2021 edition of the United Nations Climate Change Conference - also known as COP26 - takes place in Glasgow, United Kingdom, from 31 October to 12 November. The event brings countries together to accelerate action towards the goals of the Paris Agreement and the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change. Information about GWP's involvement will soon be made available on this page.

IUCN World Conservation Congress Event

IUCN World Conservation Congress

The first hybrid in-person and virtual environmental event since the pandemic began, the Congress will drive action on nature-based recovery, climate change and biodiversity post-2020.

About

The IUCN World Conservation Congress is jointly organised by IUCN and Marseille, hosted by the French Government.

EO FOR WATER CYCLE SCIENCE 2020 (online event) Event

EO FOR WATER CYCLE SCIENCE 2020 (online event)

Background

In the coming decades increasing population will drastically rise the demand for freshwater. Today, more than 600 million people lack access to safe drinking water and estimates show that with current practices, the world will face a 40% shortfall between forecast demand and available supply of water by 2030. Needs to increase agricultural production will significantly impact water withdrawals and will increase stress on people living in regions already suffering from water scarcity.

United Nations/Islamic Republic of Iran Workshop on the Space Technology Applications for Drought, Flood and Water Resource Management Event

United Nations/Islamic Republic of Iran Workshop on the Space Technology Applications for Drought, Flood and Water Resource Management

Event Organisers:

Online event organized jointly by:

The United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs through the United Nations Platform for Space-based Information for Disaster Management and Emergency Response (UN-SPIDER) and the Islamic Republic of Iran

Hosted by:

Ministry of I.C.T. (The Iranian Space Agency)

IPP Latin America & Caribbean - Space for Human Security and Crisis Management Event

IPP Latin America & Caribbean - Space for Human Security and Crisis Management

About this event

Join the UK Space Agency’s award-winning International Partnership Programme (IPP) series of regional webinars across Asia-Pacific, Africa, and Latin America & Caribbean. IPP projects will be showcasing their satellite applications, capabilities and outcomes tackling global development challenges including climate change, agriculture, maritime security, humanitarian, and disaster resilience.

IPP Africa - Space for Human Security and Crisis Management Event

IPP Africa - Space for Human Security and Crisis Management

About this event

IPP Asia-Pacific - Space for Human Security and Crisis Management Event

IPP Asia-Pacific - Space for Human Security and Crisis Management

About this event

Second International Operational Satellite Oceanography Symposium Event

Second International Operational Satellite Oceanography Symposium

Overview:

The Executive Steering and Programme Committees are pleased to invite community members from all levels of the value chain, from data providers to users, of operational satellite oceanographic data, products and applications, to attend the 2nd international Operational Satellite Oceanography (OSO) Symposium to be held in a virtual format on 25-27 May 2021.

The meeting is co-organised by EUMETSAT & NOAA NESDIS STAR.

Introduction to Geospatial Technologies for Achieving SDGs – Demographic Considerations - Summer School Event

Introduction to Geospatial Technologies for Achieving SDGs – Demographic Considerations - Summer School

Overview:

With the latest call by UN Secretary General for a “revolution” in the use of data for sustainable development, geospatial technologies have tremendous potential to boost the movement towards achieving Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and to improve monitoring of relevant SDGs’ targets and indicators.

Geospatial technologies and remote sensing offer a crucial location element to the monitoring of SDGs . The unprecedented “power of where” allows for unbiased observation and analysis across borders, administrative boundaries, and nations.

Water, Wastewater & Environmnetal Modelling Event

Water, Wastewater & Environmnetal Modelling

WWEM The Water, Wastewater and Environmental Monitoring event 2021 is a virtual event that focuses on Instrumentation and services for water and wastewater process monitoring.

IWA Digital World Water Congress Event

IWA Digital World Water Congress

The IWA Digital World Water Congress is a major virtual event which aims to bring together global stakeholders from across the industry. Attendees of the event will include scientists, academics, water professionals, utilities, regulators and engineers.

vEGU21 Event

vEGU21

Aims & scope:

The EGU General Assembly 2021 (virtual) will bring together geoscientists from all over the world to one meeting covering all disciplines of the Earth, planetary, and space sciences. The EGU aims to provide a forum where scientists, especially early career researchers, can present their work and discuss their ideas with experts in all fields of geoscience.

Geospatial World Forum 2021 Event

Geospatial World Forum 2021

For over a decade, Geospatial World Forum (GWF) has been the premium geospatial industry platform that connects professionals and leaders representing the entire geospatial ecosystem.

Topics

Technologies

5G
Artificial Intelligence
Autonomous Vehicles
Data Science
Digital Twin
Drones
Internet of Things
LiDAR
Geospatial Infrastructure

User Segments

International Conference on Water Scarcity and Drought Management Event

International Conference on Water Scarcity and Drought Management

Overview

Water Scarcity and Drought Management Conference aims to bring together leading academic scientists, researchers and research scholars to exchange and share their experiences and research results on all aspects of Water Scarcity and Drought Management Conference. It also provides a premier interdisciplinary platform for researchers, practitioners, and educators to present and discuss the most recent innovations, trends, and concerns as well as practical challenges encountered and solutions adopted in the fields of Water Scarcity and Drought Management Conference.

International Conference on Environmental and Water Resources Engineering Event

International Conference on Environmental and Water Resources Engineering

Overview

ICEWRE 2021: International Conference on Environmental and Water Resources Engineering is the premier interdisciplinary forum for the presentation of new advances and research results in the fields of Environmental and Water Resources Engineering. The conference will bring together leading academic scientists, researchers and scholars in the domain of interest from around the world.

This year the conference will be held digitally

Prices

Early Registration Ticket Fees:

Cairo Water Week 2021 Event

Cairo Water Week 2021

Cairo Water Week (CWW) is considered one of the biggest water-related events at the national, regional and international levels. It is an annual event organized by the Egyptian Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation, under the patronage of H.E. Mr. Abdel Fatah El-Sisi, President of the Arab Republic of Egypt, in collaboration with national, regional and international partners.

World Water Week Event

World Water Week

What is World Water Week?

World Water Week is the leading conference on global water issues. In 2021 it will be held digitally on 23-27 August. Join us for an intensive week of learning and collaboration on the theme Building Resilience Faster. Together we can develop solutions to address climate change and other water-related challenges.

Cairo Water Week 2020 Event

Cairo Water Week 2020

Achieving water security requires allocation among users to be fair, eficient and transparent; that water to satisfy basic human needs is accessible to all at an affordable cost to the user; that water throughout the water cycle is collected and treated to prevent pollution and disease; and that fair, accessible and effective mechanisms exist to manage or address disputes or conflicts that may arise.

ROORKEE WATER CONCLAVE Event

ROORKEE WATER CONCLAVE

The Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee and the National Institute of Hydrology Roorkee jointly decided to organize regular international conference every 2 years in the area of various facets of water to be known as Roorkee Water Conclave. The present water conclave is being organized broadly focusing on "Hydrological Aspects of Climate Change".

WATER FILM PRIZE & LET'S TALK ABOUT WATER FILM FESTIVAL Event

WATER FILM PRIZE & LET'S TALK ABOUT WATER FILM FESTIVAL

The Global Institute for Water Security at the University of Saskatchewan and the Let's Talk About Water Film and Water Symposia are proud to present the international Water Film Prize and Let's Talk About Water Film Festival, being held for the first time in Saskatoon, Canada from June 13 - 19, 2020.

United Nations/Austria World Space Forum 'Access to Space4All' Event

United Nations/Austria World Space Forum 'Access to Space4All'

Launching in November 2019, the WORLD SPACE FORUM is a new event series hosted by the United Nations that is built on the recommendations generated at three High-Level Fora held from 2016 to 2018.The sequence of Fora demonstrated the growing interest of an increasing number of actors in discussing the future of space and of international cooperation along the pillars of space economy, space society, space accessibility and space diplomacy.

Fragile Earth: Theory Guided Data Science to Enhance Scientific Discovery Event

Fragile Earth: Theory Guided Data Science to Enhance Scientific Discovery

The Fragile Earth workshop will be at KDD ’19, Earth Day takes place in Anchorage on August 5th. FEED ’19 will bring together the research, industry, and policy community around enhancing scientific discovery in the earth sciences through the joint use of data, theory, and computation. The conference topics will be about food security, water scarcity, energy use, land restoration,climate models, or the incorporation of theoretical thinking into data driven frameworks of scientific discovery, and related areas.

Water Security and Climate Change Conference Event

Water Security and Climate Change Conference

We are pleased to announce that abstracts are now being solicited for the WSCC 2019; organized by the Centers for Natural Resources and Development – CNRD (TH Köln), the Universidad Autónoma de San Luis Potosí- UASLP, the International Network on Sustainable Water Management in Developing Countries - SWINDON (TU Braunschweig) in cooperation with the Food Security Center - FSC.

United Nations/China Forum on Space Solutions Event

United Nations/China Forum on Space Solutions

United Nations / China Forum on Space Solutions: Realizing the Sustainable Development Goals

Co-organized by the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs and China National Space Administration

Software/Tool/(Web-)App

ISME-HYDRO Software/Tool/(Web-)App

ISME-HYDRO

ISME-HYDRO is a platform that helps monitor water resources of dams, thus enabling water resources managers to better execute their duties. It employs linked data infrastructure integrating in-situ measurements, satellite data, GIS data, domain knowledge, deep learning, and provides capabilities of forecasting of water volumes, of alerting for hazardous situations, of interaction with the data through four kinds of search and GIS interactivity. The platform is easily extendable and customizable.

Aqua Monitor

Aqua Monitor shows how the Earth's surface water has changed during the last 30 years. It uses freely available satellite data and Google Earth Engine, a platform for the planetary-scale scientific analysis of geospatial datasets.

For more information check the following pages:

Africa-EU Innovation Alliance for Water and Climate Geoportal

JAXA Climate Rainfall Watch

A need to monitor precipitation extremes from space is widely recognized, especially for regions where ground-based observations are limited or unavailable. The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) has developed the Global Satellite Mapping of Precipitation (GSMaP) in the Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) mission. The JAXA participated in the Space-based Weather and Climate Extremes Monitoring (SWCEM) of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) by providing the GSMaP Near-real-time Rainfall Product.

Geospatial Applications for Disaster Risk Management Capacity Building and Training Material

Geospatial Applications for Disaster Risk Management

Learning objectives

During the challenging times of the COVID-19 outbreak, MOOCs are an effective way of reaching a large number of participants to share knowledge. The United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs and the Centre for Space Science and Technology Education for Asia and the Pacific (Affiliated to the United Nations) launched a Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) on “Geospatial Applications for Disaster Risk Management” on 13th October, 2020 the International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction.

ARSET - Remote Sensing of Drought

Overview:

Prolonged drought can result in economic, environmental, and health-related impacts. In these training webinars, participants will learn how to monitor drought conditions and assess impacts on the ecosystem using precipitation, soil moisture, and vegetation data. The training will provide an overview of drought classification, as well as an introduction to web-based tools for drought monitoring and visualization.

Objective:

By the end of the training, participants will be able to:

ARSET - Introduction to Using the Variable Infiltration Capacity (VIC)Hydrologic Model with NASA Earth Observations

Overview:

Hydrologic modeling is useful for flood, drought, and water resources management. The Variable Infiltration Capacity (VIC) Model uses inputs to better understand hydrological processes in near real-time. Many of the inputs are available from NASA remote sensing and Earth system models, allowing the model to provide soil moisture, evapotranspiration, and runoff as outputs. Together with precipitation data, these outputs provide quantitative assessment of a regional water budget.

ARSET - Introduction to Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) Data and Applications

Overview:

This online training introduces participants to the data and applications of the Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) mission. GPM is an international satellite mission that provides next-generation observations of rain and snow worldwide every three hours.

UN SPIDER Recommended Practice: Use of Digital Elevation Data for Storm Surge Coastal Flood Modelling

Overview:

Storm surges and tidal waves are global phenomena that considerably affect human populations in coastal and island regions. According to the Guide to Storm Surge Forecasting published by the World Meteorological Organization in 2011, storm surges can be defined as “oscillations of the water level in a coastal or inland body of water in the time range of a few minutes to a few days, resulting from forcing from atmospheric weather systems. According to this definition, the so-called wind waves, which have durations on the order of several seconds, are excluded”.

UN SPIDER Recommended Practice: Mudslides and Associated Flood Detection Using Sentinel-1 Data

Overview:

Floods and landslides are the first and fourth most frequent disasters around the world (Petley, 2012). There are several examples of downstream flooding caused by massive mudslides where rapid mapping is an indispensable tool for supporting disaster management activities by civil protection authorities.

UN SPIDER Recommended Best Practice: Flood Hazard Assessment

Flood Hazard Assessment Model Validation

Overview:

Flood hazard assessments are critical to identifying areas at risk and taking relevant preparation and mitigation measures to address the hazard. Using the HEC-RAS 2D model for preparing flood hazard maps, this Recommended Practice explains how to identify flood-prone areas and exposed infrastructure. Through its focus on the prevention and mitigation stages of the disaster management cycle, it complements the Recommended Practice on Flood Mapping and Damage Assessment with Sentinel-2, also developed by SUPARCO.

UN SPIDER Recommended Best Practice: Exposure Mapping

Overview:

Mapping the extent of a natural hazard (e.g., assessing areas with a high risk) or disaster is a first step in disaster risk management and emergency response. Subsequently, exposure mapping enables the estimation of the impact of hazards or disasters, for example, regarding the number of affected inhabitants or infrastructure. The following practice shows the use of Quantum GIS to analyze a disaster extent map in combination with auxiliary data such as population or land cover data.

UN-SPIDER Best Practice: Disaster Preparedness Using Free Software Extensions

Overview:

Remote sensing technologies can support all stages of the disaster management cycle. In the prevention and preparedness phases, they often find their application in risk assessments, scenario modelling and early warning. This UN-SPIDER Recommended Practice explains how remote sensing data about recurring floods, information about infrastructure and socio-economic data can be integrated using free and open source software to support prevention and preparedness efforts.

Webinar: Linking Global Water Security to Nature

Due to climate change, population growth, increasing urbanization etc., many lakes, rivers, wetlands and coastal basins globally are becoming more stressed from pollution, depleting water resources, global warming, increased floods and droughts, and increasing ecological and biological disruptions.

Afri Alliance Knowledge Hub

The AfriAlliance project aims to better prepare Africa for future climate change challenges by having African and European stakeholders work together in the areas of water innovation, research, policy, and capacity development. Rather than creating new networks, the 16 EU and African partners in this project are consolidating existing ones, consisting of scientists, decision makers, practitioners, citizens, and other key stakeholders, into an effective, problem-focused knowledge sharing mechanism.

Status and outlook of the Space4Water Project of the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs: three years of Space4Water Publication

Status and outlook of the Space4Water Project of the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs: three years of Space4Water

Project / Mission / Initiative / Community Portal

Africa-EU Innovation Alliance for Water and Climate Project / Mission / Initiative / Community Portal

Africa-EU Innovation Alliance for Water and Climate

e-shape

e-shape is a unique initiative that brings together decades of public investment in Earth Observation and in cloud capabilities into services for the decision-makers, the citizens, the industry and the researchers. It allows Europe to position itself as global force in Earth observation through leveraging Copernicus, making use of existing European capacities and improving user uptake of the data from GEO assets. EuroGEO, as Europe's contribution to the Global Earth Observation System of Systems (GEOSS), aims at bringing together Earth Observation resources in Europe.

In-Service ICT Training for Environmental Professionals

Decision-makers are faced with the constant challenge of maintaining access to and understanding new technologies and data, as information and communication technologies (ICTs) are constantly evolving and as more and more data is becoming available. Despite continually improving technologies, informed decision-making is being hindered by inadequate attention to enabling conditions, e.g. a lack of in-service education and professional training for decision-makers.

SDG 13 - Climate action

Climate Summit 2019

Facts and Figures

Space-based Technologies for SDG 13

SDG 13 Targets

Learn more about the SDGs

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Interview with Ruvimbo Samanga Article

Interview with Ruvimbo Samanga

Wetlands conservation: How satellite observation supports sustainable wetland management Article

Wetlands conservation: How satellite observation supports sustainable wetland management

A hidden secret that becomes water: Monitoring Patagonian Glacier Retreat Article

A hidden secret that becomes water: Monitoring Patagonian Glacier Retreat

Floods in Sudan - Space-based Flood Monitoring to Support Disaster Risk Management Article

Floods in Sudan - Space-based Flood Monitoring to Support Disaster Risk Management

Remote sensing in managing, maintaining, and understanding coral reef ecosystems Article

Remote sensing in managing, maintaining, and understanding coral reef ecosystems

Interview with Prof. Hesham El-Askary Article

Interview with Prof. Hesham El-Askary

Monitoring Precipitation from Space Article

Monitoring Precipitation from Space

Women, water and space: The first geospatial rally for women in rural aqueducts Article

Women, water and space: The first geospatial rally for women in rural aqueducts

Interview with Marie-Françoise Voidrot, Europe Director of the Innovation Program at OGC Article

Interview with Marie-Françoise Voidrot, Europe Director of the Innovation Program at OGC

Space-Based Radioglaciology: Refining Climate Models and Monitoring Ice Article

Space-Based Radioglaciology: Refining Climate Models and Monitoring Ice

Urban Water Scarcity: How data from NASA’s GRACE-FO Mission can be used for (near) real time water management Article

Urban Water Scarcity: How data from NASA’s GRACE-FO Mission can be used for (near) real time water management

The impact of space-based internet communications constellations on water Article

The impact of space-based internet communications constellations on water

Leveraging space technologies to monitor plastic pollution in oceans Article

Leveraging space technologies to monitor plastic pollution in oceans

Arctic lakes from space Article

Arctic lakes from space

Event

The 2021 UN Climate Change Conference - COP26 Event

The 2021 UN Climate Change Conference - COP26

IUCN World Conservation Congress Event

IUCN World Conservation Congress

About

EO FOR WATER CYCLE SCIENCE 2020 (online event) Event

EO FOR WATER CYCLE SCIENCE 2020 (online event)

Background

United Nations/Islamic Republic of Iran Workshop on the Space Technology Applications for Drought, Flood and Water Resource Management Event

United Nations/Islamic Republic of Iran Workshop on the Space Technology Applications for Drought, Flood and Water Resource Management

Event Organisers:

IPP Latin America & Caribbean - Space for Human Security and Crisis Management Event

IPP Latin America & Caribbean - Space for Human Security and Crisis Management

About this event

IPP Africa - Space for Human Security and Crisis Management Event

IPP Africa - Space for Human Security and Crisis Management

About this event

IPP Asia-Pacific - Space for Human Security and Crisis Management Event

IPP Asia-Pacific - Space for Human Security and Crisis Management

About this event

Second International Operational Satellite Oceanography Symposium Event

Second International Operational Satellite Oceanography Symposium

Overview: