Earth Observation (EO) can significantly improve the quality of greenhouse gas emissions data, yet it is still underused in climate reporting systems. This is one of the key findings of the study “Earth observation for land representation: implementing the Paris Agreement requirements for greenhouse gas reporting”, published in the scientific journal Climate Policy.

The research, carried out by Valentina Cima, Marina Vitullo, Roberta Bonì, Angela Fiore, Antonella Tornato and Andrea Taramelli from ISPRA and IUSS – Scuola Universitaria Superiore Pavia, examines how Earth Observation (EO) can improve the accessibility, accuracy and consistency of greenhouse gas emissions data in the Land Use, Land‑Use Change and Forestry (LULUCF) sector.

The study highlights that, despite the strong potential of satellite technologies and EO datasets to support land monitoring and emissions accounting, fewer than 40% of Parties to theParis Agreement report using EO information in their climate transparency reports.

According to the authors, a stronger integration of EO into reporting systems could enhance the quality and transparency of national greenhouse gas inventories, making climate monitoring more robust and internationally comparable.

To foster a more effective use of Earth Observation data, the study identifies several key priorities:

• strengthening capacity building and institutional support for the use of EO data
• aligning EO datasets and products with the methodological requirements of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)
• promoting co-design processes with national greenhouse gas inventory compilers
• improving documentation of EO sources, methods and uncertainty assessments

Read the full paper: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/14693062.2026.2638495#abstract