Battle to fight climate change goes into space

A new British-made satellite has taken off to map more than one and half trillion of the world’s trees in the tropics so scientists can reduce the impact of climate change from above the clouds.

The European Space Agency (ESA) successfully launched a first-of-a-kind rocket which uses a special radar system to measure exactly for the first time how much carbon they store.

Until now, the radar could see only the tops of the trees and could not penetrate through the world’s rainforests, which are called the “lungs of the earth” as they store billions of tonnes of carbon.

“It is staggering to see how the latest technology will help measure the loss of deforestation and its effect on the world,” said Midlands green energy expert Ron Fox.

The 1.2-tonne satellite on board has been affectionately named “space brolly” for its giant 12m diameter antenna which has a very long wavelength, allowing it to see deep inside the forests and reveal branches and trunks previously obscured by the jungle canopy. Previous satellites were not able to penetrate the clouds above the rainforests.

Using a system not dissimilar to that used in a CT scan, it will send out signals which will allow the scientific team to produce the first 3D maps within six months showing how much carbon is stored and how much is being lost through deforestation. The satellite at an altitude of 414 miles above the earth will continue to gather data for five years giving a consistent and comparable view of a forest from one year to the next.

The rocket, which was first conceived by University of Sheffield academic Professor Shaun Quegan and a team of European and American scientists, took off from the European Space Agency (ESA) Kourou station in French Guiana a couple of weeks ago.

“This scientific study is vital,” said Ron, of Noreus Ltd on the University of Keele Science and Innovation Park, “as felling trees contributes to climate change because it depletes forests that absorb vast amounts of the warming gas CO2.”

A total of 110 world leaders, including Brazil, had promised to end and reverse deforestation by 2030 at the UN COP26 climate summit in Glasgow in 2021. The deal was welcomed by experts, but they warned that a previous deal in 2014 had “failed to slow deforestation at all.”

“We have to stop the devastating loss of our forests,” said the then Prime Minister and summit host Boris Johnson, “and end the role of humanity as nature’s conqueror, and instead become nature’s custodian.”

Unfortunately, in 2022, the world lost 6.6 million hectares of forest, an increase of 4 per cent compared to 2021.

“Those figures show why this new satellite monitoring the world’s forests from space is so vital,” concluded Ron.

For those wanting more advice on green energy and how to fight climate change call Ron on 01782 756995 or contact us here

Caption: The British-built satellite taking the climate change battle into space. Picture supplied by the European Space Agency (ESA).