7 March 2012: The UN Office of Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA) and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) have published a report on space-based technologies and climate change.

The report, titled “Space and Climate Change: Use of Space-based Technologies in the United Nations System,” sets out the importance of global observing systems, including space-based systems, in gauging the various threats resulting from climate change. It explains how the UN uses the information provided by space-based technologies in monitoring the climate system and supports decision making on adaptation, prediction and mitigation.

The report includes sections on global observing systems, the relevant activities of UN organizations, and those of organizations outside the UN system. The report was initially requested during the 30th session of the UN Inter-Agency Meeting on Outer Space Activities (IAM), held in Geneva, Switzerland, in 2010. The final report was originally published prior to the 17th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP 17) to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) held in Durban, South Africa, in late 2011. In March 2012, it was made available in electronic format. [Publication: Space and Climate Change: Use of Space-based Technologies in the United Nations System]