12 november 2025
ESA satellites monitor Paris Climate Agreement progress
Earth observation data show critical shifts in global carbon sinks as COP30 convenes in the Amazon
Satellite observations reveal that the Amazon rainforest – once Earth's most vital carbon sink – is no longer absorbing carbon dioxide as it once did. In some areas, forests have become a net source of emissions, highlighting the urgent need for continuous, independent monitoring of greenhouse gas emissions. As world leaders gather for the United Nations COP30 climate change conference in Belém, Brazil, satellite data provide critical evidence to review progress under the Paris Agreement – the international treaty that aims to limit global warming to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels.
New findings from the Regional Carbon Cycle Assessment and Processes (RECCAP-2) project, part of the ESA Climate Change Initiative, demonstrate that forests in the northern hemisphere have shifted from being carbon sinks to sources since 2016, driven by droughts and wildfires. The Amazon Basin lost 370 million tonnes of carbon between 2010 and 2020, while Europe's forests are showing declining carbon uptake due to harvesting, ageing, and disease, which threatens the EU's goal of achieving climate neutrality by 2050.
The remaining global carbon budget in January 2025 is just 235 gigatonnes. At current emission rates, this could be exhausted within six years. ESA's growing number of Earth observation missions provide the critical data needed to verify climate action.
Read the full article about how ESA satellites track progress on Paris Agreement goals.