The Eye in the Sky – How Europe's Satellites track Weather Phenomena and Climate Change
May 26, 2026 / 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. / Lecture Hall I, Poppelsdorf Campus (Friedrich-Hirzebruch-Allee 5, 53115 Bonn)
Is it still weather or already climate? Weather and climate change are global phenomena that we cannot measure without space travel. Satellite-based Earth observation provides indispensable data for climate models, environmental monitoring, weather forecasts, and disaster control. Europe is a leader in this field with programs such as Copernicus, Sentinel, and EUMETSAT—and the pressure to act is growing.
This session highlights the scientific, technical, and political foundations of European Earth observation. How do satellites help to measure greenhouse gas emissions, glacier retreat, or deforestation? What role do they play in managing sustainable land use, early detection of droughts, or the development of climate policy measures?
A special focus will be placed on the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF), whose precise forecast models and data streams rely heavily on space infrastructure. The discussion will also address how European Earth observation can be further developed, including in the context of the tension between public interest, security policy use, and commercial exploitation of geodata.
The event is being held in cooperation with the German Space Agency, the Federation of German Industries (BDI), the German Armed Forces Space Command, the Society for Security Policy (GSP), the Konrad Adenauer Foundation (KAS), the German Council on Foreign Relations (DGAP), the Research Network for Security and Technology in Space (SichTRaum), the Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom (FNF), the Bonn/Rhein-Sieg Chamber of Industry and Commerce (IHK Bonn-Rhein-Sieg), the Bonn Adult Education Center, and the ASTRA student association.
Procedure
Welcome:
Dr. Enrico Fels
Managing Director of the Center for Advanced Security, Strategic and Integration Studies (CASSIS)
Lecture followed by discussion:
Dr. Peter Dueben
Head of the Earth System Modeling Department at the European Center for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF)
In close cooperation with:
