SG1: Coordination of climate issues across the GEO Work Programme & Synergies with key partners    

Co-chair: Virginia Burkett (USGS - United States)

Deputy chairs: Diofantos G. Hadjimitsis (Cyprus), Kamila Kabo-bah (Ghana), Rabia Sa'id (ACCREC)

This subgroup will focus on enhancing coordination of climate-related activities across the GEO Work Programme to promote an effective response to the needs of key partners such as the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), and to ensure complementarity of efforts with other data providers in the Earth observation community including the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and the Committee on Earth Observation Satellites (CEOS). This will be undertaken through a mapping of relevant GEO Work Programme activities aimed at identifying existing gaps and synergies; the establishment of close dialogue with partners; the facilitation of communication within the GEO Work Programme including through dedicated meetings and workshops; with a view to proposing a way forward and possible opportunities for collaboration. These efforts will help ensure that national, regional, and global climate action efforts are implemented in a sustainable manner for the benefit of the society.

SG2: Engagement with UNFCCC and IPCC    

Co-chair: Mark Dowell (JRC - European Commission)

Deputy chairs: Armen Asryan (Armenia), Nura Jibo (ACCREC)

This subgroup will ensure effective interface of GEO Work Programme activities to the work of United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), including by addressing the key pillars of the Paris Agreement. The subgroup will undertake this by: establishing a responsive working relation on Systematic Observations with the UNFCCC Secretariat, IPCC Secretariat and WG chairs as well as bilateral dialogues with the relevant Party delegates. Further, the subgroup will undertake targeted initiatives in coordination with other GEO CC-WG subgroups and relevant activities in the GEO Work Programme to address impactful Earth Observation initiatives on adaptation and mitigation.

SG3: Enhancing the use of EO for Mitigation    

Co-chair: Lucia Perugini (CMCC – Italy)

Deputy chairs: Akinola Babatunde (Nigeria), Ramesh P. Singh (United States)

This subgroup will contribute to developing a comprehensive strategy to support climate change mitigation action through the enhanced use of Earth observation. In particular, it will facilitate the improvement of targeted Earth observation data to assist countries with enhancing and monitoring their mitigation actions and better fulfil the current and forthcoming reporting obligations under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the Paris Agreement. To this aim, the subgroup will identify GEO Work Programme activities that best fulfil the mitigation and reporting needs, reviewing the programme activities, assessing how and where they are best placed to serve the UNFCCC/Paris Agreement mitigation goals, facilitating the communication among them and with countries including through dedicated meetings and workshops, with a view to proposing a way forward and possible opportunities for collaboration. The subgroup will also aim at identifying how GEO can better serve the global stocktake process under the Paris Agreement, in relation to the assessment of the collective progress in the achievement of the mitigation target.

SG4: Enhancing the use of EO for Adaptation and Loss & Damage    

Co-chair: Angel Alberto Valdiviezo Ajila (National Service for Disaster Risk Reduction and Emergencies – Ecuador)

Deputy chairs: Gayane Faye (Senegal), Gensuo Jia (China)

This subgroup will contribute to developing a comprehensive strategy to support action on climate change adaptation and account of loss and damage through the enhanced use of Earth Observation. In particular, it will facilitate the improvement of targeted Earth Observation data to assist countries with enhancing and monitoring their adaptation actions and better fulfil the current and forthcoming reporting obligations under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the Paris Agreement. To this aim, the subgroup will identify GEO Work Programme activities that best fulfil the adaptation and reporting needs, reviewing the programme activities, assessing how and where they are best placed to serve the UNFCCC/Paris Agreement adaptation goal, facilitating the communication among them and with countries through dedicated meetings and workshops, with a view to proposing a way forward and possible opportunities for collaboration. The subgroup will also aim at identifying how GEO can better serve the global stocktake process under the Paris Agreement, in relation to the assessment of the collective progress in the achievement of the adaptation targets. It will also focus on supporting country action with the mainstreaming of Earth observations into National Adaptation Plans.