The launch event of the Atlas of the Human Planet 2024 will be an occasion to explore how information on population and human settlements derived from Copernicus satellites can help tackle a broad spectrum of societal challenges.
The geography of humans on the planet defines many issues of security, environment, economics and equality. The diversity of cities and rural areas also offers models for the change necessary to adapt to a changing climate and geopolitical landscape.
Knowing where people live and work is of key importance for efforts to address major current and future societal challenges. Realising these efforts presupposes that we have access to detailed information on human settlements and population, and that information must be global.
This demand for information is addressed by the JRC's Global Human Settlement Layer (GHSL) spatial database, which includes the key variables of population density, built-up surface, and settlement types, the latter including cities, towns and semi-dense areas, and rural areas. This crucial data has recently been integrated into the Copernicus Emergency Management Service, enabling more effective management and response to emergencies. This new edition of the Atlas of the Human Planet offers an unprecedented 50-year perspective on population growth and urbanisation trends across the world.
