At 1.02 degrees Celsius higher than the 1951–1980 mean, Earth’s global average surface temperature in 2020 was – tied with that in 2016 – the warmest on record. This finding of a recent report by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) underlines the planet’s long-term warming trend as one of the most significant effects of climate change. “The last seven years have been the warmest seven years on record, typifying the ongoing and dramatic warming trend,” said NASA GISS Director Gavin Schmidt.

Three-dimensional (3D) representations of the Earth’s surface are essential for mapping and assessing disaster risks as well as for preparing, responding to, and preventing disasters. A Digital Elevation Model (DEM) is a pixel-based modeled representation of the Earth’s surface, where each pixel represents an elevation value. Computers or algorithms can use a DEM as input to model or analyze 3D topography. The Copernicus DEM is an edited Digital Surface Model (DSM) which represents the surface of the Earth including buildings, infrastructure and vegetation.

Having access to precise geographical data and the ability to analyze them easily is essential for effective disaster and risk management. EUMETSAT delivers meteorological, climate and ocean data as well as analytical tools to all registered users worldwide. Recently they released three new data pilot services, which are highly valuable throughout the full disaster management cycle: EUMETSAT DATA Store, EUMETSAT Data Tailor and EUMETView.

A new publication highlights the contributions of Earth observation (EO) for reaching the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The Compendium of EO contributions to the SDG Targets and Indicators was produced by the ESA-funded EO for SDGs project, in close cooperation with the GEO EO4SDG initiative and the CEOS Ad-Hoc Team on SDGs.

In recent years, the world witnessed many devastating wildfires with disastrous impacts on the environment as well as on its population. In the past satellite- and airplane-based radar instruments have been used to detect wildfires and observe their temporal progression and the damage caused. A new scientific project supported by the Earth Applied Sciences Disasters programme at NASA uses radar data for a new approach in order to decipher where and how well landscapes recover in the years after major fires.

A new satellite that allows the most accurate measurements of sea level yet was successfully launched on 21 November. The Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich satellite will map up to 95 per cent of the world’s oceans every 10 days, taking continuous measurements of sea surface and wave height as well as of wind speed. It thus will provide crucial data for disaster and emergency management, helping to forecast cyclones, droughts, hurricanes and heat waves.

In recent years, various regions of the world have been experiencing severe forest fires which, in some cases, are triggering major losses.

The United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA) and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration of the United States Government (NASA) signed a landmark Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on 17 December 2020 pledging cooperation in areas of science and technology to support the peaceful uses of outer space.