The Role Of Space Technology As A Key Driver Of Sustainable Development And Climate Solutions

The satellite technology plays a vital role in social and community benefits, by detecting the global climate variables, and can prepare a successful preparedness program to mitigate climate losses and damages, a better adaptation plan, reduction of extremeness, and to manage the crisis for human survival techniques.

- AKM Monowar Hossain Akhand

Satellite data has provided major improvement and success, in acquiring information about the earth’s surface (land), sub-surface (water, ocean), and atmosphere and understanding the climate changes, and their changing variations. The data is more accurate than any other climate models, or conventional (traditional) observations.

The satellite has a greater role in monitoring and quantifying climate variables and can identify the effects of each spatial pattern, movement, and variation. The technology can observe each new, lost surface, and other environmental variables that are the best practices for the nation’s sustainability.

Climate change has critical adverse impacts on human society and poses severe challenges to global sustainable development. The traditional essential climate variables that have occurred on Earth are critical for assessing; whereas, satellite technology has brought a new era of observations, and can provide accurate information on climate variables. This technological advancement enhances the understanding of climate change from space and supports policymaking and mitigation activities in combating climate impacts.

Bangladesh has a great success story (reducing losses), life casualties and damages, and adaptation measures to climate change impacts, using satellite data, and making preparedness, early warning, awareness, and evacuation activities, mainly after the 1991 devastating cyclone. Bangladesh prepared plans and strategies following satellite data (using space technology) and has achieved a big success. (Example: the 29 April 1991 cyclone had a death toll of 1,50,000 persons due to not available satellite data for early warnings, while a devastating cyclone Remal 26 May 2024 in Bangladesh, died only 18, using satellite data).

Background of Outer Space Use Activities