A new initiative announced this week will help Commonwealth countries use powerful space technology to better predict and manage natural disasters and become more climate resilient.
Commonwealth Secretary-General Her Excellency Patricia Scotland announced the initiative at an event hosted by the Mayor of London on 5 June 2024.
Developing countries are disproportionately affected by climate-related disasters, despite contributing a smaller share of global greenhouse gas emissions and having more limited financial resources to respond and recover.
The Secretary-General told representatives of governments, space agencies, academia and business at the event:
“Through our work, it has become clear that technological advances and the rapid use of satellite data are making space crucial to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
“We are proud to introduce our new initiative, CommonSpace, which will use powerful space technologies and data to help developing countries better predict, manage and recover from increasingly frequent and severe climate disasters.”
“In the long term, this effort will provide these countries with vital data to make critical decisions, invest directly in resilience-building projects, and protect the lives and livelihoods of those on the frontline.”
The Commonwealth space collaboration ‘CommonSpace’ initiative aims to facilitate the sharing of innovative space technology, data and research between Commonwealth countries, particularly through a dedicated ‘Space Data Hub’.
The effort builds on the “CommonSensing” project, a partnership between Fiji, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu and international partners including the Commonwealth Secretariat, UK Space Agency and Catapult Satellite Applications to use satellite technology to build climate resilience and enhance access to climate finance.
The Common Space initiative will be led by Professor Manahel Tabet, the Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for Science and Technology. Her work as Envoy is to leverage technology to accelerate progress on the SDGs.
Professor Tabet revealed further details of the initiative at the event, describing it as a “project that meets the urgent needs of our time”.
She continued, “From Blue Charter to Common Space, our Commonwealth efforts are more than just projects. They are a promise to our people, a promise to our future, and a legacy for future generations. Let’s harness the power of space technology to create a world where all our people have access to a life of dignity, opportunity, and hope.”
Commonwealth Secretary-General and Special Envoy for Science and Technology Professor Manahel Tabet
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