What Earth Observation can do for carbon and air quality
Earth observation (EO) provides independent, large-scale and repeatable measurements that are transforming how greenhouse gases and air pollutants are monitored, reported and verified. Satellite instruments measure atmospheric concentrations of carbon dioxide, methane and nitrogen dioxide, track individual emission plumes from industrial and waste sources, and map forests, wetlands, soils and other ecosystems that store or release carbon. By offering consistent, spatially explicit information across vast and often inaccessible areas, EO strengthens the scientific basis for both carbon accounting and air quality management, and supports transparent, credible reporting at local, national and global scales - from voluntary carbon markets and national climate commitments under the Paris Agreement to air quality limit values set by national and regional authorities.
ESA's role in carbon and air quality
ESA contributes to global carbon and air quality monitoring through a range of missions and programmes that generate the satellite data underpinning climate and atmospheric science. Sentinel-5P measures methane, nitrogen dioxide and other trace gases daily at global scale, and the upcoming Copernicus CO2M mission will add dedicated monitoring of anthropogenic carbon dioxide emissions. Alongside these, dedicated missions such as BIOMASS, built to measure forest carbon stocks worldwide, and long-running programmes like the Climate Change Initiative (CCI) provide authoritative datasets on vegetation, land cover, soil moisture and greenhouse gas concentrations. ESA works closely with scientific institutions, policy bodies and private sector actors to turn these datasets into actionable information, supporting national greenhouse gas inventories, air quality assessment and emerging carbon markets.
How the Stakeholder Engagement Facility supports carbon and air quality users
The ESA Stakeholder Engagement Facility (SEF) works with carbon and air quality stakeholders to help them understand and harness the potential of Earth observation in their monitoring, reporting and verification workflows. Through in-depth user engagement, the SEF team analyses the specific requirements of organisations working across land-based carbon sectors and emission-intensive sectors such as waste, oil, gas and coal, and identifies where EO can deliver the most value.
External Resources
The following resources cover ESA-funded projects, Copernicus missions and open tools relevant to users working
with Earth Observation for carbon stock estimation, greenhouse gas emissions monitoring and atmospheric air
quality, and for reporting under international frameworks such as the Paris Agreement, the EU Ambient Air Quality
Directive and the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework.
Blue carbon
ESA Coastal Blue Carbon
Develops EO-based products, indicators and methods for monitoring, conservation and restoration of the three
main coastal blue carbon ecosystems — seagrass meadows, salt marshes and mangroves. Delivers 10 m resolution
maps of blue carbon ecosystem extent and estimates of carbon stock changes across three time periods between
2015 and present, using Sentinel-1, Sentinel-2 and CNES very high resolution imagery. Directly supports
national carbon inventories and Nationally Determined Contributions.
Forest carbon
ESA Forest Carbon Monitoring (FCM)
A toolset for satellite-based forest biomass and carbon stock monitoring using Sentinel-1, Sentinel-2 and
auxiliary data, deployed on the Forestry TEP cloud platform. Supports compliance reporting (LULUCF, REDD+) and
voluntary carbon markets with demonstrated use cases across Europe, Colombia and Norway. The project recently
completed; tools remain accessible via the Forestry TEP platform.
Biomass dataset
ESA CCI Biomass
The most comprehensive open-access global dataset of above-ground forest biomass, produced through ESA's
Climate Change Initiative. Version 6 covers 2007–2022 at 100 m resolution, with annual maps, change products
between consecutive years, and coarser aggregations (1–50 km). Derived from Sentinel-1, ALOS PALSAR, Envisat,
ICESat and GEDI data. Directly supports national GHG inventories, Paris Agreement Global Stocktake reporting,
and carbon cycle modelling.
GHG inventories
ESA RECCAP-2
Integrates ESA CCI satellite data records into atmospheric inversion models to generate improved regional
carbon stock and GHG flux estimates (CO₂ and CH₄) for Europe, Siberia, the Amazon and the Arctic. Provides a
framework to compare and reconcile top-down satellite-based flux estimates with bottom-up national GHG
inventories, supporting independent verification under the UNFCCC Paris Agreement Global Stocktake.
Coordinated with the Global Carbon Project.
CO₂ & CH₄ monitoring
Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS)
The EU's operational service for atmospheric composition monitoring, providing open, free data on CO₂ and CH₄
natural fluxes and anthropogenic emissions globally. Key products include inversion-optimised GHG surface
fluxes, a real-time Methane Hotspot Explorer (powered by Sentinel-5P / TROPOMI data) that maps individual
methane emission plumes from industrial leaks, and reanalysis datasets dating back decades. Fully open via the
Atmosphere Data Store.
Methane alerts
UNEP International Methane Emissions Observatory (IMEO) — MARS
The UN Environment Programme's methane observatory operates the Methane Alert and Response System (MARS), drawing on
more than 30 satellite instruments, including Sentinel-5P, to detect major methane plumes and notify
governments and companies directly so they can act. Since its January 2023 launch, MARS has notified
stakeholders of more than 1900 plumes linked to the oil and gas sector across around 30 countries, with
detections published on the Eye on Methane platform 30 days after notification.
Atmospheric composition
Copernicus Sentinel-5P (TROPOMI)
Copernicus's dedicated atmospheric composition mission, delivering daily global measurements of methane,
nitrogen dioxide, ozone, sulphur dioxide, formaldehyde, carbon monoxide and aerosol index at resolutions down
to 5.5 x 3.5 km. Operational since October 2017, it is the primary EO data source behind most operational
methane and air quality monitoring services, including CAMS and UNEP's Methane Alert and Response System.
Air quality forecasts
CAMS European Air Quality Forecasts
The Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service's operational air quality forecasting system, producing daily
four-day forecasts of nitrogen dioxide, ozone, particulate matter (PM2.5, PM10) and sulphur dioxide across
Europe from an ensemble of 11 regional air quality models, alongside global forecasts and reanalysis. Feeds
national air quality services, smartphone apps and the European Air Quality Index.
Air quality index
European Air Quality Index (EEA)
The European Environment Agency's official air quality index, drawing on more than 3500 monitoring stations
across Europe to report real-time levels of particulate matter (PM2.5, PM10), ozone, nitrogen dioxide and
sulphur dioxide against EU and WHO reference values. The standard public and policy reference for reporting
compliance with air quality limit values.
Emissions inventory
EDGAR — Emissions Database for Global Atmospheric Research
A joint JRC-PBL bottom-up inventory of global anthropogenic greenhouse gas and air pollutant emissions since
1970, gridded at 0.1 x 0.1 degrees and broken down by country and sector. The standard bottom-up reference
against which satellite-derived top-down emission estimates are compared and reconciled.
Carbon budget data
Global Carbon Project — Global Carbon Atlas
The authoritative annual global carbon budget, synthesising fossil CO₂ emissions, land-use change emissions,
and ocean and land carbon sinks from over 100 research institutes. All data are freely downloadable. The
companion Global Carbon Atlas provides interactive maps and time-series visualisation of CO₂ and CH₄ budgets
at global, regional and national scales — a standard reference for climate policy, reporting and research.
Forest monitoring
Global Forest Observations Initiative (GFOI)
A multi-agency initiative (including ESA, NASA, JAXA and FAO) coordinating satellite data and methods for
national forest monitoring, specifically to support REDD+ measurement, reporting and verification (MRV). The
GFOI Methods and Guidance Document is the international reference for integrating EO data into forest carbon
accounting. The REDDcompass platform provides country-facing tools, guidance and datasets for forest carbon
MRV.
