The Space for Climate Observatory, or SCO, is an international initiative launched in 2019 to combat and adapt to the impacts of climate change using satellite data.
Bringing together a range of public and private entities involved in the Earth observation sector, the SCO brings together and coordinates efforts to develop operational tools aimed at political decision-makers and the general public for monitoring, mitigating and adapting to the impacts of climate change at local level.
History
Context and issues The work of the IPCC establishes that human activity is responsible for the climate change observed by scientists. Higher temperatures, more frequent extreme weather events, rising sea levels and melting ice are some of the most visible signs, confirmed by space-based observations of essential climate variables (ECVs). Again according to the IPCC reports, the predicted increasing changes will have a cascade of consequences: severe weather phenomena, the effects of extreme heat, problems with water and food supplies, degradation of the environment and quality of life, increased air pollution, impacts on water quality, health problems, increased social inequalities, fires, drought, and so on.
As international efforts focus heavily on mitigating climate change, the SCO concentrates on adapting territories to the effects of climate change by providing tools and support for decision-making at local/regional/national level. To achieve this, the projects developed by the SCO mobilise spatial, in situ and socio-economic data to provide local decision-makers with tools for forecasting, analysing and monitoring the impacts of climate change in a wide range of areas, such as retreating coastlines, urban heat islands, water management, agriculture, flooding and extreme weather events, etc.
Preparation, from 2015 to 2019 In September 2015, at the summit of heads of space agencies organised by the International Academy of Astronautics in Mexico, a declaration affirmed the need to strengthen international cooperation and take full advantage of Earth observation satellites to observe climate change and monitor the commitments made to mitigate its effects.
On 12 December 2015 at COP21, 195 countries signed the Paris Agreement to contain, by 2100, the rise in global temperature to well below 2 °C, and if possible below 1.5 °C compared to pre-industrial levels. In 2016, space agencies from around the world ratified the New Delhi and Marrakech declarations to develop a common system for measuring greenhouse gas concentrations and one for the water cycle.
On 11 December 2017, 25 of them initialled the Paris Declaration in favour of a Space Climate Observatory. The creation of the SCO was ratified the following day at the "One Planet Summit", a progress report on the implementation of the Paris Agreement organised by France. A first demonstrator was presented at the Toulouse Space Show on 28 June 2018.
Birth and growth After an initial coordination meeting in February 2019, on 17 June 2019, 22 space agencies and international organisations sign the Joint Declaration of Interest for the SCO at the Paris-Le Bourget International Air Show (France). The first International Steering Committee meeting will be held on 22 October 2019, in conjunction with the 70th International Astronautical Congress (IAC) in Washington (USA).
As the instigator of the initiative, France is launching the first call for SCO projects in September 2019 and will label the first 20 projects in March 2020. A number of projects have become emblematic of the SCO approach, such as the TropiSCO platform to monitor tropical deforestation in real time, FLAude and its FORO tool to improve flood resilience, ALEOFEU to prevent the risk of forest fires, EO4Wetlands to renaturalise wetlands, and SCOLive, which uses the olive tree as a bioindicator of climate change.
The founding Charter of the SCO, drawn up by all its members under the coordination of the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA), will be ratified on 27 June 2022 and will enter into force on 1 September 2022.
Mission
General objectives The SCO supports the development of a set of operational tools for policy-makers and the general public, taking full advantage of satellite, in situ and socio-economic data to enable the implementation of policies to mitigate and adapt to the impacts of climate change at local level. These tools, which are co-constructed with their users to respond precisely to local needs, must be easily transferable to other regions facing the same challenges.
The SCO also aims to improve international coordination around operational applications based on space technologies for climate, highlight the tools developed and thus serve as an international forum for these issues.
Sustainable development goals As an instrument of international cooperation in the field of climate change impacts, the SCO actively contributes to the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) adopted by the United Nations in 2015 (Agenda 2030).
100% of SCO projects meet 2 SDGs:
SDG13 - Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts SDG17 - Revitalize the global partnership for sustainable development
SCO projects also specifically address the following SDGs:
SDG6 - Ensure access to water and sanitation for all and ensure sustainable management of water resources SDG11 - Make cities inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable SDG15 - Preserve and restore terrestrial ecosystems
Organization
Charter and international governance The members of the SCO are signatories to the founding Charter of the Space for Climate Observatory. This Charter defines the scope, activities and governance of the SCO. It also opens its membership to any public or private entity committed to climate action.
As an international initiative based on the best efforts of its members, the SCO has multilateral governance. A Focal Point is appointed in each country to take part in the meetings of the Steering Committee, which meets at least twice a year to decide on the alliance's major orientations. Among these Focal Points, a sub-group forms the Programme Committee, which oversees for a given period the SCO activities - projects and working groups - carried out by each of the members. These committees and all activities are supported by the SCO General Secretariat, under the responsibility of a SCO member.
Member states and institutions By 31 December 2025, 61 institutions had signed the SCO Charter. CountryOrganizationAcronymDate of signatureInternationalInternational Society for Photogrammetry and Remote SensingISPRS07/06/2022InternationalUnited Nations Office for Outer Space AffairsUNOOSA27/06/2022InternationalUnited Nations Development ProgramUNDP09/01/2023InternationalUnited Nations Environment ProgramUNEP18/11/2022InternationalInternational Space UniversityISU15/07/2024ArgentinaComisión Nacional de Actividades EspacialesCONAE19/09/2022AzerbaijanAzercosmosAzercosmos27/06/2022BahrainNational Space Science AgencyNSSA15/10/2024BelgiumPolitique scientifique fédérale belgeBELSPO27/06/2022CanadaCanadian Space AgencyCSA18/09/2023ChinaChina National Space AdministrationCNSA27/06/2022DjiboutiCentre d’Études et de Recherche de DjiboutiCERD11/10/2024EthiopiaSpace Science and Geospatial InstituteSSGI27/06/2022EuropeEuropean Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological SatellitesEUMETSAT24/10/2023EuropeEuropean Space AgencyESA27/06/2022FranceACRI-STACRI-ST19/11/2025FranceAgence française de la Transition écologiqueADEME30/05/2023FranceAgence Française du DéveloppementAFD27/06/2022FranceBureau de recherches géologiques et minièresBRGM20/03/2025FranceCentre d'études et d'expertise sur les risques, l'environnement, la mobilité et l'aménagementCEREMA27/06/2022FranceCentre de coopération internationale en recherche agronomique pour le développementCIRAD01/09/2022FranceCentre national de la recherche scientifiqueCNRS27/06/2022FranceCentre Scientifique et Technique du BâtimentCSTB28/03/2023FranceExpertise FranceExpertise France04/12/2023FranceGlobal Earth ObservationsGlobEO19/11/2025FranceInstitut du développement durable et des relations internationalesIDDRI30/05/2023FranceInstitut français de recherche pour l’exploitation de la merIFREMER10/07/2025FranceInstitut national de l’information géographique et forestièreIGN27/06/2022FranceInstitut national de l'environnement industriel et des risquesINERIS20/03/2025FranceInstitut national de recherche pour l'agriculture, l'alimentation et l'environnementINRAE27/06/2022FranceInstitut de recherche pour le développementIRD23/06/2022FranceMaps Earth Observation Satellite ServicesMEOSS19/11/2025FranceAgence française de météorologieMétéo-France30/05/2023FranceOffice français de la biodiversitéOFB27/06/2022FranceOffice national des forêtsONF27/06/2022FranceService hydrographique et océanographique de la MarineSHOM27/06/2022FranceCentre National d'Etudes SpatialesCNES06/06/2022GabonAgence Gabonaise d’Études et d’Observations SpatialesAGEOS21/06/2022IndiaIndian Space Research OrganizationISRO27/06/2022ItalyItalian Space AgencyASI24/06/2022KenyaKenya Space AgencyKSA24/06/2025MaltaMalta Council for Science and TechnologyMCST14/06/2022MexicoMexican space agencyAEM27/06/2022MonacoMonaco Space OfficeMSO20/03/2025NetherlandsNetherlands Space OfficeNSO23/05/2023NorwayNorwegian Space AgencyNOSA23/05/2023PhilippinesPhilippine Space AgencyPhilSA28/11/2022PortugalAgência Espacial PortuguesaPtspace27/06/2022Saudi ArabiaSaudi Space AgencySSA04/12/2023SenegalAgence Sénégalaise d'Études SpatialesASES07/10/2025SingaporeOffice for Space Technology and IndustryOSTIn23/06/2022SlovakiaSlovak Space Office - Industry BranchSSO-SARIO21/06/2022South AfricaSouth African National Space AgencySANSA06/11/2023SpainInstitut d’Estudis Espacials de CatalunyaIECC16/12/2025SwedenSwedish National Space AgencySNSA27/06/2022ThailandGeo-Informatics and Space Technology Development AgencyGISTDA17/06/2022United Arab EmiratesMohammed Bin Rashid Space CentreMBRSC02/06/2023United Arab EmiratesUAE Space AgencyUAESA05/12/2022United KingdomUK Space AgencyUKSA27/06/2022USANational Oceanic and Atmospheric AdministrationNOAA07/06/2022VietnamVietnam Academy of Science and TechnologyVAST24/09/2025
National SCOs
SCO in South-Africa SCO in China SCO in France SCO in Gabon SCO in Norway SCO in Slovakia SCO in Sweden SCO in the United-Kingdom
Functioning by use case
National SCO and calls for projects The signatories of the SCO Charter aim to identify and support local projects that respond to the concrete needs of the area.
These projects are selected through an annual call for projects. As the instigator of the international initiative, France has devised a modus operandi which can be replicated by each national SCO.
At international level, knowledge sharing and synergies between projects are organised to encourage the scaling up of the solutions developed. International cooperation is also provided to help the most vulnerable regions.
SCO project criteria Projects applying for the SCO label must meet a number of criteria, in particular:
Meet the needs of end-users in a specific geographical area; Constitute a multi-family consortium comprising at least scientists, companies and/or public authorities and the end user; Propose an operational and practical solution, such as an application or web mapping interface, preferably open source; Make the most of satellite, environmental and climate data, combining them with available in situ and socio-economic data; Draw on existing (pre-)operational and research infrastructures, services and local data; Can be extended or transposed to other geographical areas.
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