Speaker
Description
The use of outer space by state and non-state actors increases year on year as does the capability and affordability to launch satellites. The notion however, that the use of outer space is by any means a new aide in addressing climate change and environmental crises is to be dispelled. Discussion of the utility of outer-space, if any at all, must start with the acknowledgement that a satellite taken photograph was crucial in recognising that the earth was experiencing previously ununderstood changes in the global climate.
The paper and presentation start first with a focus on the current state of use of outer-space in addressing climate change and environmental crises. By focusing on various notable and timely examples, the state of play will be examined as falling broadly into three distinct actions, early-prevention and detection, crisis and post-crisis recovery. By doing so, it becomes clear that the use of outer-space for climate and environmental purposes necessitates collective action, particularly for non-space faring states. Effectively addressing any crisis will require data from multiple satellites, which are likely to be owned by different government and private-sector operators across multiple states. The data must only be collected, but it must be analysed in order to be of meaningful value in responding to various disasters. Inter-State cooperation therefore, is of paramount importance.
The paper and presentation will also take focus on the role of international law, if any, in enabling the use of outer-space. It starts with recognising that a legal framework exists for the exploration and use of outer-space, but that there is an absence of any law that focuses on addressing climate change and environmental crises or requires any state cooperation in this regard. The paper will explore what some of the challenges are, both in agreement and implementation of an international agreement on cooperation, before leading into the current state of play, the Disaster Charter.
The Disaster Charter is the leading mechanism for state coordination and cooperation addressing natural disasters. It does not seek to align states and the private sector behind a common objective, but rather seeks to ensure effective coordination in the use of existing resources. The paper will provide an overview of the Charter, and discuss its success over the last two decades. The paper will further look at other initiatives such as the Rio+20 Outcome Document and the Hyogo Framework Plan of Action and the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction. It will also bring to the attention of attendees the works of some private-sector actors, such as Planet, who provides earth-imaging which could be considered unconventional when compared to traditional satellite imaging.
Talking points:
• Does the Disaster Charter continue to serve present day needs?
• Should there be an obligation on data owners to notify of impending crises?
• Do issues arise around the freedom of exploration, gathering and dissemination of information, and in contrast ones right to privacy?
