Mexico Joins Global Satellite Efforts Against Climate Change

Mexico has announced its engagement in international satellite alliances focused on combating climate change, as detailed by the Ministry of Infrastructure, Communications, and Transport (SICT). This initiative is coordinated through the Mexican Space Agency (AEM) and in collaboration with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (SRE).

The SICT highlighted the importance of satellite technology for climate monitoring, stating that half of the 52 essential climate variables are derived from satellite data. Salvador Landeros Ayala, director general, AEM, remarked, “Only what can be measured can be improved,” emphasizing the need for collaborative efforts to address this pressing global challenge.

The urgency of tackling climate change was underscored by entities such as the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), which describes it as "possibly the greatest shared challenge of humanity." Landeros Ayala noted the increasing risks of severe hurricanes and heightened ocean warming linked to climate change, stressing the importance of effective mitigation and adaptation strategies.

At the fifth G20 Space Economy Leaders Meeting, Landeros Ayala introduced the Mexican talent project, the “Mexican Climate and Atmospheric Composition Observatory” (OMECCA). Developed in partnership with the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) and the National Institute of Ecology and Climate Change (INECC), OMECCA offers precise measurements of carbon and water vapor fluxes in southeastern Mexico, as reported by Mexico Business News. It validates data from international satellite instruments, including NASA’s TEMPO, and plans to incorporate ESA's Sentinel-5P, as well as NASA’s OCO-2 and OCO-3, and JAXA’s GOSAT, as mentioned by A21.