Our eyes in the sky: Satellites recognised as vital to the protection of our environment

So often do we perceive the space sector to be looking outwards, to unexplored regions beyond the confines of Earth, that it's important to remind ourselves of just how much the sector looks inwards also, and how important this is.

Earlier this week at COP29 in Baku, Azerbaijan, the UK Space Agency, acting as the Chair of the Committee on Earth Observation Satellites (CEOS), reminded us of this very fact. In particular, the vital importance of satellites in monitoring climate change was emphasised.

In an age where the environment is changing rapidly, and in which nations the world over are pledging to help prevent this, it is absolutely necessary to remain up-to-date on environmental changes, as they are happening.

This is exactly what our satellite network enables us to do, enabling us to monitor phenomena such as land cover changes, temperature trends, sea level rise, sea ice melt and extreme weather events. No matter how remote the area in which these phenomena occur, our satellite network's global coverage keeps us informed.

In fact, without the data that these satellites provide, the very discussions being held at COP29 - discussions which are vital to restoring the environmental health of our planet - would remain uninformed and ineffective.

As the environment continues to change at breakneck speed, the UK Space Agency recognises that our satellite network must progress at a similar rate, whether in the form of technological advancement or organisational improvement.

On the whole, the above should serve as a welcome reminder of the role that space technologies play in not only improving our lives here on Earth, but safeguarding them also. In return, we at Marks & Clerk are keen to assist innovators of space technologies in securing robust intellectual property protection for their inventions.