Third day of Pakistan-UN Conference: Space tech, satellite-based climate intelligence take centre stage

ISLAMABAD: Space technology and satellite-based climate intelligence took centre stage on the third day of the Pakistan-UN International Conference in Islamabad, with experts from Pakistan and other countries exploring how advanced monitoring systems can strengthen early warning mechanisms, improve disaster preparedness and support climate-resilient development.

The Thursday discussions focused on harnessing space-based data to assess climate risks, protect agriculture, strengthen infrastructure and improve financial planning against climate-related disasters.

The proceedings featured three technical sessions, and two panel discussions, bringing together experts from Pakistan, China, Tunisia, Thailand, Italy and other participating countries to exchange knowledge on climate intelligence, disaster risk reduction and resilient development.

The technical session on “Space for Climate Action” highlighted satellite-based monitoring of carbon emissions, atmospheric aerosols, temperature extremes, forests, groundwater and urban air quality. Presentations also covered Earth observation applications in agricultural water management and early warning systems.

The session on “Climate Risk and Governance” explored geospatial applications in multi-hazard assessment, extreme rainfall analysis, crop monitoring, food security and drought anticipation. Discussions also highlighted the role of space-based climate intelligence in strengthening disaster risk governance, financial resilience and climate adaptation planning under the EW4All initiative.

The panel discussions on “Climate Change Actions – Resilient Infrastructure” and “Climate Risk Financing through Technology-Enabled Hazard Detection and Crop Yield Loss Estimation” focused on integrating climate risk assessments into infrastructure planning, flood management and disaster risk reduction to strengthen resilience, minimize vulnerabilities to climate-related hazards and crop yield loss estimation.

Discussions highlighted their potential to improve risk assessment, insurance mechanisms and financial decision-making, emphasizing collaboration among scientific institutions, policymakers, development partners and the financial sector.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2026