Satellite-based Earth observation offers a powerful new way to track climate adaptation, an international study involving researchers from the University of Galway has found.

The team at the University’s Ryan Institute is pioneering methods that combine space-based data with artificial intelligence to measure actions that help communities, ecosystems and infrastructure adjust to current and future climate impacts in the global agrifood sector. The approach allows assessments even in remote agricultural regions where ground measurements are sparse or difficult to obtain.

The findings are published this week in the journal , in a study led by the European Space Agency to coincide with COP30. Researchers mapped how Earth observation can support different targets under the Global Goal on Adaptation, a key action from the 2015 Paris Agreement aimed at enhancing resilience and reducing vulnerability to climate impacts.

The study found that many critical climate variables, known as Essential Climate Variables, can be used directly to support adaptation efforts. Focusing on agriculture, biodiversity, extreme events and health, the research shows that satellite data provides global coverage with consistent, repeatable measurements spanning up to 60 years, something no other monitoring system can offer.

Professor Aaron Golden, research team leader at the Ryan Institute and co-author of the study, said the analysis highlighted the unique role satellites play in supporting the Paris Agreement. He said long-term observations give policymakers tools to measure progress and identify regions at risk.

The study demonstrates practical applications of satellite data, including monitoring water productivity, irrigation efficiency and crop migration patterns, tracking ecosystem changes, assessing flood extent, drought anomalies and urban heat islands, and providing land surface temperature and air quality data to inform heat exposure assessments and disease outbreak forecasting.

Dr Sarah Connors, Climate Applications Scientist at ESA and lead author of the study, said Earth observation should be an integral part of Global Goal on Adaptation indicators. She added that integrating satellite data from the start is essential, as experience with the Sustainable Development Goals shows it is much harder to include it later.

Professor Frances Fahy, Director of the Ryan Institute, said the research highlights the institute’s world-class interdisciplinary work. She said it reinforced the importance of using cutting-edge science to address the climate crisis and shape international climate policy.

Professor Golden added that the study provides a direct way of linking facts on the ground anywhere on the planet to the Paris Agreement’s adaptation targets.

The full study is published in npj Climate and Atmospheric Science.