The European Space Agency (ESA) is Europe’s gateway to space. Its mission is to shape the development of Europe’s space capability and ensure that investment in space continues to deliver benefits to the citizens of Europe and the world.
Find out more about space activities in our 23 Member States, and understand how ESA works together with their national agencies, institutions and organisations.
Exploring our Solar System and unlocking the secrets of the Universe
Go to topicProtecting life and infrastructure on Earth and in orbit
Go to topicUsing space to benefit citizens and meet future challenges on Earth
Go to topicMaking space accessible and developing the technologies for the future
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Western Siberia, home to the world's largest peat bogs, has warmed about 30 C in the last 40 years. In 2005 these bogs began to thaw for the first time in 11,000 years. They could potentially release billions of tonnes of greenhouse gases such as methane and CO2 into the atmosphere, accelerating global warming.
Earth Observation has the potential to improve our predictive vision. Space-based instruments are able to look for distinctive emission 'footprints' in the atmosphere left by global warming chemicals, create three-dimensional maps showing the concentration of greenhouse gases throughout the atmosphere and map carbon 'sinks' such as peat bogs.