NASA chief calls on nations to work together on climate change

NASA chief calls on nations to work together on climate change

NASA hopes nations will work together more closely in the future on topics such as climate change, including greenhouse gas emissions, the space agency’s chief, Bill Nelson, said Tuesday.

Solutions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions that are rapidly warming the planet and driving the climate crisis already exist, but require unprecedented change at a new scale and pace.

“This is something that countries can work together because the information is there,” Nelson said in Mexico City when asked about how to deal with greenhouse gas emissions. “It’s important that we act on it.”

Satellites have emerged as a powerful tool for scientists around the world to study climate change but also, increasingly, pinpoint the origins of greenhouse gas emissions, such as methane leaks, that may otherwise go undetected.

Nelson added that satellites are constantly collecting data about the climate and NASA is looking to make this data accessible, and educate the public on how to use it.

Methane, the main component of natural gas, is the second largest contributor to global warming after carbon dioxide. Scientists can now pinpoint the cause of large methane leaks using data collected by satellites.

It is a stronger driver of global warming in the short term than carbon dioxide because it traps more heat in the atmosphere, ton after ton.

“The kind of concerns we have are global,” said NASA Deputy Administrator Pam Melroy. “It is very important to realize that no country can solve the problem alone.”

Earlier in the day, Nelson and Melroy, who are both astronauts, met with Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador and lawmakers to discuss how the countries can work together.