Progress of Earth Observation and Earth Science in China

Sustainability is the current theme of global development, and for China it is not only an opportunity but also a challenge. In 2016, the Paris Agreement on climate change was adopted, addressing the need to limit the rise of global temperatures. The United Nations (UN) has set Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to transform our world in terms of closely linking human well-being, economic prosperity and healthy environments. Sustainable development requires the support of spatial information and objective evaluation, and the capability of macroscopic, rapid, accurate Earth observation techniques plays an important role in sustainable development. Recently, Earth observation technologies have been developing rapidly in China, where scientists are building coordinated, comprehensive and sustainable Earth observation systems for global monitoring programs. Recent efforts include the Digital Belt and Road Program (DBAR) and comparative studies of the “three poles”. This and other researches will provide powerful support for solving problems such as global change and environmental degradation.