The efforts made in 2023 promise a dynamic 2024!

Published on 04/01/2024

Climate change is happening fast, but so is the SCO. With the entry into force of the founding Charter in September 2022, the SCO has taken concrete steps to move up a gear, following the example of SCO France, the initiative's pilot fish. In fact, the soil is ideal for 2024, which is already shaping up to be a very busy year.

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This astonishing view of the annual harvest of (edible) water lilies in Bengal may reflect the shared determination of SCO members: the future may look bleak, but there is a glimmer of hope if we all act together now. © Shibasish Saha / Climate Visuals Countdown

Governance well in place

On the basis of the founding Charter of the SCO, which came into force on 1st September 2022, in 2023 the members of the SCO adopted the rules of procedure which will enable it to function in an optimal and clear manner for all. They also set up the 1st Operational Programme Committee and adopted the 1st work programme for the period 2023 to 2025. In accordance with this programme, the first international Call for Projects was launched on 1st September 2023 (results in March 2024).

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

On 25 September 2023, the SCO joined the UN and its partners to mark the mid-term anniversary of the Agenda 2030 and its 17 Sustainable Development Goals, a programme that is as ambitious as it is necessary.

A strong international presence

To strengthen international cooperation around satellite solutions, in 2023 the SCO took part in major global events such as the first Global Space Conference on Climate Change (GLOC), the IAC, the first One Forest Summit and GEO Week.

13 new members signed the SCO Charter in 2023

COP28 in particular was the occasion for an unprecedented mobilization of the space agencies, which met at a Summit of Heads of Agencies on Monday 4 December 2023. The Space Agency's Leader Summit Pledge for Enhancing Space-Based Climate Initiatives adopted on this occasion sets out 4 strategic commitments: sharing data, strengthening climate research, developing new programmes, promoting sustainable space operations and raising awareness of climate change in the sector. The SCO is set to play a central role in implementing these commitments, by providing its technical and field expertise to support the most vulnerable populations.

SCO in France

France, via the CNES, is leading the French branch of the SCO initiative. This is responsible for 61 of the 71 approved projects, thanks to a growing community that successfully combines public research and development institutions, players in a fast-growing private ecosystem and user-decision-makers in charge of territorial management.

311 institutions involved in the SCO France community

The entire community was invited to Paris Bercy on 30 May 2023 for the second SCO France Congress. With a high level of participation from all the players involved, the testimonies were all in favor of the unique and essential approach being taken by the SCO. Bringing all these players together means attending a number of national events, such as GEO Data Days and the Mayors' Fair. Finally, as it does every 1st September since 2019, SCO France has opened its call for projects (the 4th), the results of which will be announced in March 2024.

Projects and the solutions they deliver

At the SCO, not a month goes by without communicating the progress of the various projects. As one of the criteria for obtaining the SCO label is a maximum development period of 24 months, more and more projects are delivering their tools or demonstrators. Most of these take the form of online applications, very often freely accessible.

A Toolbox of applications
Since September 2023, our site has had an Applications Toolbox offering more than 20 solutions and operational demonstrators delivered by SCO projects.

► A sample of the tools available in the ToolBox

🎥 4 quarterly and themed meetings in 2023 (11 in total), where projects present their methods and build synergies:

March: SCOlutions to hydrometeorological risks
June: The SCO at the service of agricultural practices
September: Water, between stress and risk
December: Innovative services for resilient farming practices

Outlook for 2024

The SCO is now a world-renowned player in the field of climate action, where it acts as a catalyst for data and methods. Thanks to all the foundations laid and the new partnerships forged (or strengthened) in 2023, 2024 promises to be even more intense with, in particular:

A new edition of projects, announced for spring 2024
Updating the SCO Portfolio, a booklet listing all projects awarded the label
Signing of the Charter by new members, including from the private sector
Increased participation and commitment to major international events
A 5th call for projects in September 2024
And, of course, new operational tools!

The path is made by those who walk it: join the SCO community, everyone can make a contribution.

Happy 2024!

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