The European Space Agency’s Earth Observation for Sustainable Development (EO4SD) Climate Resilience Cluster is hosting a free webinar series to provide insight about the potential of Earth Observation (EO) to support climate-resilient decision making at the regional and national scale. The seven-part series is will be hosted every Thursday at 16:00 (CEST) starting 11th June 2020. The series is aimed at all those interested in developing a foundational knowledge of EO and how it can be applied practically in the context of climate-resilience projects and programmes.
Registration is now open. Sign up for one or more webinars in the series here.
More information about the individual sessions can be found below.
Drawing on the EO4SD Climate Resilience Cluster’s extensive experience working with leading international finance institutions including the Asian Development Bank, The World Bank, the International Finance Corporation, Africa Risk Capacity and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, the webinar series will provide ‘hands-on’ sessions and guided tutorials for existing climate resilience platforms.
Over the course of the series, participants will: understand the basics of EO data in the context of climate resilience, learn how, why and when to use EO data to inform decision making, learn about applying EO data to manage key climate risks including flooding and drought, and learn practical skills about accessing and using EO data tools and platforms.
Registration is free with registration closing the night prior to each webinar at midnight (12 a.m. CET).
Webinar 01: Setting the Scene: The climate resilience challenge and how ESA is responding - 11th June 2020/16:00 CEST.
The first webinar of this series will set the scene by summarising the European Space Agency’s current and planned activities in the climate domain, introduce the nature and scope of the ESA E04SD Climate Resilience Cluster, and provide an overview of the scientific and policy context to climate action.
To download and share the webinar invitation, click here.
Register for the webinar here.
Webinar 02: The how, when, and why of using EO data in Climate resilience decision-making Showcase 1: Agricultural livelihoods & water 18th June 2020/16:00 CEST.
As one of the most climate-dependent sectors, agriculture can be highly vulnerable to the impacts of slow-onset climate change and the increasing frequency of high-magnitude events. In economies highly dependent on agriculture, climate impacts can elevate risks of food insecurity, loss of livelihoods and export revenue, and heightened competition among water users (among others). All of these can elevate both social and macroeconomic instability that place constraints on prosperity and development. The second webinar of this series aims to introduce the use and benefits of EO-derived data and services in climate resilience decision making in climate resilience decision-making in the agriculture and water sectors.
Register for the webinar here.
Webinar 03 The how, when, and why of using EO data in Climate resilience decision-making Showcase 2: Urban resilience & environmental & natural resources - 25th June 2020 at 16:00 CEST.
Climate change is putting considerable stress on urban areas, driven by hazards such as increasing extreme heat, fluvial flooding and sea level rise. These hazards can increase risks to human health, property, and the performance of critical urban infrastructure. At the same time, the environmental services on which such areas depend are also being impacted. EO data can be used to bring high-resolution insight anywhere in the world to inform a range of decisions, from informing ‘climate-adaptive’ building design to helping to identify opportunities for climate resilient development and economic activities in coastal areas. The third webinar of this series aims to introduce the use and benefits of EO-derived data and services in climate resilience decision-making in the areas of urban resilience and environmental & natural resources.
Register for the webinar here.
Webinar 04 - Water world: How EO data is deepening our knowledge of flood risk and water resource management - 2nd July 2020/16:00 CEST.
Earth Observation (EO) data and services are vital tools for the water sector, supporting flood events, and conducting wetland inventory status in rural and urban areas. EO provides valuable information (Flood extent, historical flood events etc.) with the aim to assist authorities to prepare the most effective actions to manage flood risk and develop plans to tackle disasters. The fourth webinar of series will present in detail how Earth Observation data with different spatial and temporal resolution can contribute to flood risk, water and wetness management.
Register for the webinar here.
Webinar 05 - Is this drought normal? How EO data can help you understand drought hazard and benchmark your risk - 9th July/16:00 CEST.
Drought is one of the main natural causes of agricultural, economic, and environmental damage. The effects of drought on the environment and agriculture are evident after a long period with a shortage of precipitation, making it very difficult to determine the onset of drought, its extent and end. The EO time-series datasets can build understanding about the scale of effects associated with different drought impacts, helping to develop early food security assessments in specific geographic areas or contingency planning and emergency preparedness for future shocks in a country. It can also improve understanding of the drivers and causes of food insecurity in areas and identify which investments or risk management strategies are best. The fifth webinar of this series will present how Earth Observation data with different spatial and temporal resolution can provide information on drought events.
Register for the webinar here.
Webinar 06 - ‘How to’ Session: Using the EO4SD CR Platform to access EO data (hands-on) - 16th July 2020/16:00 CEST.
The EO4SD Climate Resilience cluster project has deployed a web based (EO4SD CR) platform to provide climate action programmes with enhanced climate risk management capabilities allowing users to explore the data and apply on demand analytics. This sixth webinar of this series will comprise of a hands-on session and a guided tutorial in which structured exercises will enable participants to familiarize, navigate and extract the information required in their assessments.
Register for the webinar here.
Webinar 07 - ‘How to” Session: Using Jupyter Notebook to access EO data (hands-on) - 23rd July 2020/ 16:00 CEST.
An extension of webinar 06, webinar 07 will be a hands-on session and guided tutorial for advanced users to explore how to use the EO4SD CR platform Jupyter Notebook, including structured exercises of how to access EO data, conduct analyses and extract data time series.
Register for the webinar here.
Background to EO and climate change resilience
EO has a considerable potential to inform and facilitate climate resilient development around the globe. ESA’s Climate Change Initiative provides stable, long-term, satellite-based “Essential Climate Variables” data products for climate modellers and researchers.
EO data facilitates effective climate change planning and response by providing timely and accurate data about the Earth’s atmosphere, landmasses, and oceans. This insight, combined with information about society, can paint a powerful picture about climate risks and resilience building opportunities, and help drive better decisions.
To download and share the overview of the webinar series, click here.