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Key words2024, climate action, mobilization, operational services, international meetings

2024: what a year!

Published on 06/01/2025
With the SCO, climate action is no empty word. From the boom in projects that have been accredited with the label to the strong mobilization of the Charter's signatories, 2024 was an exceptional year for the SCO, setting the scene for an auspicious 2025.
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This planisphere shows the 3 main themes of the SCO projects implemented on each continent, highlighting the main current adaptation priorities.
This planisphere shows the 3 main themes of the SCO projects implemented on each continent, highlighting the main current adaptation priorities. © SCO

In just five years of existence, the SCO has demonstrated the efficiency of bringing together all the driving forces around data to provide territories around the world with a common set of tools that can be transposed to meet the challenges of climate change. This success is directly attributable to the SCO community, with nearly 400 entities from all horizons and all countries. Space and international agencies, public establishments, scientific institutes, companies, associations... We would like to thank you all for your involvement, your work and your spirit of sharing. 🙏

Applications: a wealth of tools and projects

Thanks to the adoption of the first work programme in 2023, the annual call for projects has been perfectly structured, resulting in a fine crop of accredited projects in 2024, almost two-thirds of which are international and one-third by the SCO France.

95 projects implemented in

42 countries

On the website, 8 new applications were added to the Toolbox in 2024. Proof of the effectiveness of SCOlutions is the emergence of use cases such as BandSOS, which was mobilized during cyclone Remal in Bangladesh, or TropiSCO, which is being used in French Guiana to combat illegal gold mining, which is decimating the forest ecosystem.

Instigator of the initiative, the French branch of the SCO, led by the CNES, is particularly active in promoting its many projects via regular news updates, presentations at key events and webinars called Quarterlies, themed meetings where project leaders present their methods and exchange ideas.

🎥 4 quarterly meetings in 2024 (15 in total)

  • March: Coping with natural disasters
  • June: Water and coastal quality
  • September: Monitoring air quality from spac
  • December: Making the most of high-resolution imagery in cities: flooding and heat islands

Governance and climate diplomacy

Underpinned by its Charter, which came into force on 1st September 2022, one of the SCO's missions is to federate international climate action. It has been present at all the major meetings since its inception, and its involvement is increasingly visible and recognized, with an active role in organizing plenary sessions and high-level round tables at events such as IAC 2024, IGARSS and the UN/Austria Symposium.

50 members sign up to the SCO Charter (+3 in 2024)

2 Steering Committees per year, in conjunction with major international events

4 Programme Committees per year

🥇 On Wednesday 16 October 2024, the SCO was awarded the Eurisy Hubert Curien Prize, which "rewards outstanding efforts to help society benefit from space". We would like to thank Eurisy and share this international recognition with our entire community.

Outreach and awareness-raising

In 2024, the Working Group Global Awareness Raising, led by UNOOSA, was set up to promote the SCO and its approach, and to strengthen its action and its community.

Two other events reflect the SCO's desire to consolidate its community and strengthen its links with the entire ecosystem:

  • Adoption of the due diligence process enabling private organizations wishing to join the alliance to sign the SCO Charter.
  • Thanks to a close collaboration that began in January 2024, 34 open tools and services from SCO projects are available on the GEO Knowledge Hub of the Group on Earth Observations.

Outlook for 2025

The SCO is now a world-renowned player in the field of climate action, where it acts as a catalyst for collaboration, data and methods. In fact, 2025 promises to be at least as intense as 2024, with, in particular:

  • A new edition of projects, announced for spring 2025
  • Updating the SCO Portfolio, a booklet listing all projects accredited with the label
  • Signing of the Charter by new members, including from the private sector
  • Increased and more committed participation in major international events, including the UNOC (United Nations Ocean Conference) in France and COP30 in Brazil.
  • A 6th call for projects in September 2025
  • And, of course, new operational tools!

👏 Congratulations again to everyone on these remarkable results, and we wish you all the very best for 2025.

Keeping up with the SCO is easy: just subscribe to the Spirit of SCO monthly newsletter! If you wish, you can also use the same form to automatically receive invitations to the Quarterly Project Meetings.