As the climate crisis intensifies, humanity faces an urgent need to monitor, understand, and mitigate environmental changes on a global scale. On May 15, 2025, the role of space-based technology in addressing this crisis has never been more critical. Satellites, orbiting high above the Earth, have become indispensable tools in the fight against climate change, providing data that informs policy, drives innovation, and enables real-time action. This blog explores how satellites are revolutionizing climate tech, their key applications in environmental monitoring, and the challenges and opportunities they present for a sustainable future.
The Rise of Climate Tech in Space
The intersection of space technology and climate science—often dubbed “climate tech from space”—has grown exponentially over the past decade. Satellites have been used for environmental monitoring since the 1970s, but recent advancements in sensor technology, data processing, and artificial intelligence (AI) have transformed their capabilities. Today, thousands of satellites orbit the Earth, collecting vast amounts of data on everything from greenhouse gas emissions to deforestation rates, ocean temperatures, and ice cap melting.
Organizations like NASA, the European Space Agency (ESA), and private companies such as SpaceX and Planet Labs are leading the charge. NASA’s Earth Observing System, for instance, includes satellites like the Landsat series, which has been monitoring the Earth’s surface for over 50 years. Meanwhile, the ESA’s Copernicus program, with its Sentinel satellites, provides open-access data that scientists and policymakers rely on to track environmental changes. Private companies are also playing a growing role, launching constellations of small satellites that offer high-resolution imagery and near-real-time monitoring.
Monitoring Greenhouse Gas Emissions
One of the most critical applications of satellites in climate tech is the monitoring of greenhouse gas emissions, particularly carbon dioxide (CO₂) and methane (CH₄). These gases are the primary drivers of global warming, and understanding their sources and concentrations is essential for effective mitigation strategies. Satellites like NASA’s Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) and the ESA’s Sentinel-5P are equipped with advanced spectrometers that measure atmospheric CO₂ and CH₄ with unprecedented accuracy.
For example, Sentinel-5P can detect methane leaks from industrial facilities, pipelines, and landfills, identifying “super-emitters” that release disproportionately large amounts of the gas. Methane is a potent greenhouse gas, with a warming potential over 25 times greater than CO₂ over a 100-year period, so addressing these leaks is a priority. In 2024, data from Sentinel-5P helped identify a massive methane leak in a Central Asian oil field, prompting swift action to repair the infrastructure and prevent further emissions.
Satellites also enable global carbon accounting, which is crucial for verifying compliance with international agreements like the Paris Accord. By combining satellite data with ground-based measurements and AI models, researchers can track emissions at a country or even city level, holding governments and corporations accountable for their climate commitments.
Tracking Deforestation and Land Use Changes
Deforestation, particularly in regions like the Amazon rainforest, is a major contributor to climate change, releasing stored carbon into the atmosphere and reducing the planet’s capacity to absorb CO₂. Satellites provide a bird’s-eye view of these changes, enabling near-real-time monitoring of forest cover and land use.
Planet Labs, a private company, operates a constellation of over 200 small satellites that capture daily images of the Earth’s surface at a resolution of 3–5 meters. This high-frequency imaging allows organizations like Global Forest Watch to detect illegal logging activities almost as they happen. In 2025, data from Planet Labs helped Brazilian authorities identify and shut down an illegal logging operation in the Amazon, saving thousands of hectares of forest.
Satellites also track reforestation efforts and land use changes, such as the conversion of forests to agricultural land. The ESA’s Sentinel-2 satellites, with their multispectral imaging capabilities, can distinguish between different types of vegetation, helping researchers assess the health of ecosystems and the success of restoration projects. This data is invaluable for initiatives like the United Nations’ Decade on Ecosystem Restoration, which aims to restore degraded landscapes on a massive scale.
Observing Ocean and Ice Dynamics
The oceans and polar ice caps are on the front lines of climate change, with rising sea levels and melting ice posing significant risks to coastal communities and global ecosystems. Satellites are uniquely positioned to monitor these changes, providing data that informs both scientific research and disaster preparedness.
NASA’s ICESat-2 satellite uses laser altimetry to measure the thickness of ice sheets in Greenland and Antarctica with millimeter precision. Since its launch in 2018, ICESat-2 has documented alarming rates of ice loss, contributing to a sea level rise of approximately 4 millimeters per year. This data is critical for predicting future sea level rise and its impacts on low-lying regions, such as the Maldives or Miami.
Satellites also monitor ocean temperatures and currents, which play a key role in regulating the Earth’s climate. The Jason-3 satellite, a joint project between NASA and the French space agency CNES, measures sea surface height, providing insights into ocean circulation patterns like the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO). These patterns influence global weather, affecting everything from monsoon rains in India to hurricanes in the Atlantic. In 2025, Jason-3 data helped meteorologists predict an unusually severe hurricane season, giving communities more time to prepare.
Enabling Disaster Response and Climate Adaptation
Beyond monitoring, satellites play a vital role in disaster response and climate adaptation. As extreme weather events become more frequent due to climate change, timely and accurate data is essential for saving lives and minimizing damage. Satellites provide real-time information on hurricanes, wildfires, and floods, enabling first responders to act quickly.
For example, during the 2024 wildfire season in California, imagery from NOAA’s GOES-17 satellite helped firefighters track the spread of fires and identify areas at greatest risk. This allowed for more effective evacuation plans and resource allocation, ultimately reducing the loss of life and property. Similarly, the ESA’s Sentinel-1 satellites, which use radar to see through clouds and darkness, have been instrumental in mapping flood extents during monsoon seasons in South Asia, aiding humanitarian efforts.
Satellites also support climate adaptation by providing data for sustainable urban planning and agriculture. For instance, satellite-derived weather data helps farmers optimize planting and irrigation schedules, improving crop yields in the face of changing climate patterns. In 2025, farmers in drought-prone regions of East Africa used data from the Copernicus program to adapt their practices, reducing the impact of a prolonged dry spell.
Future Opportunities
Despite their transformative potential, satellites face several challenges in the fight against the climate crisis. One major issue is data accessibility. While programs like Copernicus offer open-access data, much of the high-resolution imagery from private companies remains expensive, limiting its use by smaller organizations and developing countries. Bridging this gap will require greater collaboration between governments, space agencies, and the private sector to ensure that climate data is available to all who need it.
Another challenge is the growing problem of space debris, which threatens the safety of satellites. With thousands of satellites now in orbit, the risk of collisions is increasing, potentially disrupting the flow of critical climate data. International efforts to manage space traffic and develop debris-removal technologies will be essential to sustain the satellite infrastructure needed for climate monitoring.
Looking ahead, the future of climate tech from space is bright. Advances in AI and machine learning are making it possible to process and analyze satellite data faster than ever before, uncovering insights that were previously out of reach. For example, AI models can now predict deforestation risks by analyzing historical satellite imagery alongside socioeconomic data, allowing for proactive interventions.
Moreover, the development of new satellite technologies promises to enhance our understanding of the climate system. The upcoming MethaneSAT, set to launch later in 2025, will provide even more detailed measurements of methane emissions, helping to close the gap in global emissions inventories. Similarly, NASA’s planned Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) mission will offer unprecedented insights into the Earth’s water cycle, aiding in the management of freshwater resources.
A View from Above for a Sustainable Future
Satellites have become our eyes in the sky, offering a perspective on the Earth’s environmental crisis that is both global and granular. From tracking greenhouse gas emissions to monitoring deforestation, observing ice melt, and aiding disaster response, these space-based tools are at the forefront of climate tech. They empower scientists, policymakers, and communities to make informed decisions, driving action to mitigate climate change and adapt to its impacts.
As we move forward, the challenge will be to ensure that the benefits of satellite technology are shared equitably, addressing issues of data access and space sustainability. By harnessing the power of satellites—and the AI-driven insights they enable—we can build a more resilient and sustainable future, tackling the climate crisis from a vantage point that only space can provide. The view from above has never been more essential—or more hopeful—for the planet below.
