The Space Agency of Azerbaijan sees the UN’s annual climate conference (COP29) currently taking place in Baku as an opportunity to extend global collaboration between space agencies, providing valuable insights into environmental trends and their potential impacts, Azercosmos Chairman Samaddin Asadov said.
Azerbaijan’s Space Agency utilizes satellite technologies in remote sensing and GIS solutions, to meticulously track and analyze dynamic shifts in climate, providing valuable insights into environmental trends and their potential impacts, including monitoring water level changes in the Caspian Sea, assessing river qualities, monitoring ecologically vulnerable areas, and involving the analysis of the hydrosphere, lithosphere, and biosphere.
“Last year, the International Astronautical Federation (IAF) held a very interesting and specific congress in Oslo, Norway, very much related to the space and climate issues: How space technologies benefit the climate change activities of the countries,” Asadov told NE Global in a recent interview at his Azercosmos office in Baku. He added that at the Oslo Congress it was noted almost 60 percent of the global data regarding the climate and especially the data on the negative impacts of the climate change is coming from space. “That’s a huge number. Of course, there are lots of challenges but from that point of view, we as Azerbaijan Space Agency, see our role in helping the government of Azerbaijan in fighting climate change, not only in Azerbaijan and in our region but beyond our region, even internationally,” Asadov said.
“We have communication satellites, we have also observation satellites and, of course, we have access to the international earth observation constellation of satellites where we can freely get the data regarding the climate and the environmental issues,” he said. “We have started using these observation satellites from 2014 and we have collected very precious and lots of terabytes of data for Azerbaijan and for our region from the space and with these data this year we have introduced to the general public a Climate Report (https://climatereport.az/),” he added.
“In this report we have introduced to the public the general difficulties or hardships that this country is facing because of climate change and because of the increase in the temperature. We are showing lots of information about the water, rivers, water reservoirs, lakes, what are the changes in their sizes over the period and how these changes affect the local communities,” he said.
“We share the information of the Caspian Sea, because over the last years, we see a decrease of the level of the Caspian Sea, and we can precisely and very diligently monitor the level of the sea and give feedback to the relevant authorities. We have reports on soil salinity, we have reports on droughts, we have reports on glaciers on the Caucasus Mountains and some more information about climate and environment,” the Azercosmos Chairman said, adding that these data from space can help decision makers be pro-active. This is how space benefits the environment and climate,” he said, noting that more than 150 earth observation satellites are dedicated to weather forecasting and water management.
Azercosmos, which was established in 2010 as the premier satellite operator in the region, aims to emerge as one of the driving forces in the global space industry.
Asadov noted that last year during COP28 in Dubai, Azercosmos’ colleagues at the United Arab Emirates Space Agency hosted the first-ever Space Agencies Leaders’ Summit where more than 20 space agencies gathered and agreed to work together to fight climate change.
He noted that this year on November 16, the Azerbaijan Space Agency “is carrying the torch” by organizing the Baku COP29 – Space Leaders’ Summit, which is among the high-level events of the COP29 Presidency to discuss how space solutions can support global ambitions, actions, and collaboration.
The summit on November 16 brought together representatives from the international space community, including leading staff of 20 global space agencies, international organizations, United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA) Director Aarti Holla-Maini and the International Astronautical Federation to discuss space and climate action. Attendees included senior officials from Japan, the United States, the Kingdom of Bahrain, Brazil, China, Italy, Norway, Hungary, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, and the United Kingdom.
During the Summit, NASA astronauts Sunita Williams and Nick Hague made a video appeal on the International Space Station for the COP29 event, specifically to convey the importance of space in climate change, warning that “our planet is changing every second by observing from space.”
The Summit with the theme “Joint Efforts for Climate Action: Partnerships, Capacity, and Data Sharing” adopted the International Pledge for Space-Based Climate Action – COP29 Impact and Output. “This adoption is not merely a formal act; it carries symbolic significance and historical resonance, representing our collective commitment,” Asadov said in his opening statement.
“The alignment of the Space Leaders’ Summit with the Science, Technology, and Innovation/Digitalization thematic day on November 16 is no coincidence. Holding this summit on this day underscores that space technology is more than exploration; it is deeply integrated with digital infrastructure, climate action, innovation, sustainability, and global connectivity,” he said.
“Space should be seen not just as a tool but as a bridge that connects science, technology, policy, and action. This Summit provides an opportunity to build stronger partnerships between space agencies, international organizations, governments, researchers, and the private sector,” the Azercosmos chairman added.
Asadov told NE Global earlier that one of the problems is that even though space agencies and satellite operators have terabytes of data from space on the effects of climate change, these are not used today by the authorities or by the ministries or by the relevant agencies because of the lack of communication. “That’s a big challenge now that everyone is facing globally,” he said, adding, “The authorities do not really know what space agencies have on their servers, on their archives. The space leaders’ summit offers an opportunity to talk and see what is being done.”
