Climate, Energy and Urbanisation

Climate, Energy and Urbanisation

Climate, Energy and Urbanisation addresses the interconnected challenges of climate change, energy use and urbanisation through Earth observations, focusing on localised adaptation, mitigation and resilience strategies.

GEO provides critical insights by tracking climate trends, assessing renewable energy potential, and monitoring urban expansion and land use, supporting integrated planning and decision-making to enhance sustainability in human settlements.

Harnessing Earth Intelligence for Urban Sustainability

Through activities such as GEO Cold Regions Initiative, GEO Human Planet and the Global Heat Resilience Service, GEO harnesses Earth Intelligence to empower:

  • Climate-smart urban planning and cooling strategies for heat mitigation.
  • Data-driven design of green infrastructure, such as urban forests and sustainable drainage.
  • Optimisation of renewable energy deployment and grid management.

Key GEO Activities

GEO Human Planet

HUMAN-PLANETInitiative

Maps human presence to inform sustainable development strategies.

Innovative service using Earth Intelligence to identify heat risks, support cooling strategies and enhance resilience in urban areas.

Arctic GEOSS

ARCTIC-GEOSSConvener

Addresses environmental challenges unique to the Arctic.

The Global Heat Resilience Service

Central to GEO’s work on climate and urban resilience is the Global Heat Resilience Service, an innovative tool designed to address the growing challenges of extreme heat in urban areas. By leveraging advanced Earth observation data, the service enables stakeholders to: 

  • Identify urban heat islands and vulnerable populations to prioritise interventions.
  • Support the development of cooling infrastructure and nature-based solutions.
  • Monitor the impacts of extreme heat on public health, infrastructure, and energy systems.

The Global Heat Resilience Service equips decision-makers with actionable intelligence to mitigate heat risks, enhance urban resilience, and protect vulnerable communities from the escalating impacts of climate change.

Supporting Global Priorities

This work advances:

SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities):
Enhancing urban resilience and sustainability.
Paris Agreement:
Promoting energy transitions and climate adaptation in urban settings.
Sendai Framework:
Reducing disaster risks in cities through early warning systems and informed planning.

Looking Ahead

GEO’s Post-2025 vision focuses on bridging knowledge gaps, fostering innovation in urban resilience strategies and integrating Earth Intelligence data with socio-economic metrics. Initiatives will emphasise equity, youth engagement and actionable intelligence for sustainable urban development.

Related GEO Activities

AquaWatch

AQUAWATCHConvener

Focuses on global water quality monitoring and management.

GEO Blue Planet

GEO-BLUE-PLANETConvener

Focuses on ocean and coastal observations to support sustainable use.

Space and Security

SPACE-SECURITYConvener

Uses Earth observations for enhancing security applications.

GEO Indigenous Alliance

GEO-IAEnabling Mechanism

GEO-IA contributes to a more inclusive, equitable, and sustainable approach to Earth observation initiatives that benefit Indigenous communities, the scientific community, and global efforts to harmoniously coexist with our planet.

GEO Youth Community of Practice

GEO-YOUTHEnabling Mechanism

An step toward realizing the massive untapped potential for GEO and GEO Youth to mutually benefit from critical, deliberate engagement with one another.

Digital Earth Africa

DE AFRICAEnabling Mechanism

Provides accessible Earth observation data to support sustainable development in Africa.

Digital Earth Approaches for GEO

GEO-DECOPEnabling Mechanism

Advancing and operationalizing Digital Earth, at an initial stage, through the Earth Observation (EO) Data Cubes efforts, with a focus on implementing global principles in local contexts

Digital Earth Pacific

DE PACIFICEnabling Mechanism

Provides tailored Earth observation solutions for Pacific Island nations.

Brings together the GEO Work Proragmme, DRR and climate change experts to promote the integration of Earth Intelligence into disaster management and climate adaptation and mitigation strategies.

The Resilient Cities and Human Settlements Working Group (RCHS-WG) focuses on integrating Earth observations into urban resilience and sustainable urbanization efforts across cities and human settlements worldwide.