During a webinar hosted by the EU Climate Action Academy on April 24, 2025, Ioana Petrescu – President of Pur și Simplu Verde and European Climate Pact Ambassador – presented how satellite data can be effectively used for environmental protection and citizen engagement in the green transition.
Ioana shared examples of projects led by our organization that leverage satellite data, including an interactive educational program for schools developed for Green Week, and our contribution to integrating Earth Observation (EO) into European public policy, in collaboration with the European Space Policy Institute (ESPI).
The presentation explained what Earth Observation is – a powerful tool that provides real-time information on soil, air, water, vegetation, and climate. This data is crucial for monitoring climate change and managing natural resources. Programs like Copernicus, run by the European Commission, offer free access to such data through the Sentinel satellites, which track everything from air quality to forest dynamics.
One inspiring example discussed was Citizens for Copernicus (C4C), a project that combines satellite imagery with citizen science to monitor Europe’s forests. Citizens contribute by uploading photos from the ground, and artificial intelligence integrates these with satellite data to track biomass and tree species.
In her closing arguments, Ioana emphasized that the green transition needs advanced tools, but also engaged people. Satellites offer the big picture, but only with the help of citizens can we turn data into concrete action for the future of our planet.