Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

The dark side of Earth observation

  • Comment
  • Published:

From Nature Sustainability

View current issue Submit your manuscript

Earth Observation (EO) satellites have transformed understanding of the state and trajectories of Earth’s environment. Recent mushrooming of EO satellites and of resultant data that are stored, distributed and processed, often on the cloud, generate widespread environmental impacts that demand urgent consideration, particularly given that EO data outlive EO satellites.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1: EO activities are rapidly increasing, with a growing commercial sector dominance.
Fig. 2

References

  1. Gaston, K. J., Anderson, K., Shutler, J. D., Brewin, R. J. W. & Yan, X. Front. Ecol. Environ. 21, 289–296 (2023).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  2. Lawrence, A. et al. Nat. Astron. 6, 428–435 (2022).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  3. Estable, S. et al. J. Space Saf. Eng. 7, 52–66 (2020).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  4. Shutler, J. D. et al. Nat. Geosci. 15, 598–600 (2022).

    Article  CAS  ADS  Google Scholar 

  5. Walker, C. & Benvenuti, P. (eds) Dark and Quiet Skies II Working Group Reports (Zenodo, 2022); https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.5874725

  6. Lannelongue, L., Grealey, J. & Inouye, M. Adv. Sci. 8, 2100707 (2021).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  7. Gorelick, N. et al. Remote Sens. Environ. 202, 18–27 (2017).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  8. Copernicus Sentinel Data Access Report 2022 (ESA, 2023); https://go.nature.com/3TTXcar

  9. Crawford, C. J. et al. Sci. Remote Sens. 8, 100103 (2023).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  10. van Es, K., van der Weijden, D. & Bakker, J. Big Data Soc. https://doi.org/10.1177/20539517231155064 (2023).

  11. Atkins, E. Polit Geogr. 86, 102306 (2021).

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  12. Burrington, I. The environmental toll of a Netflix binge. The Atlantic (16 December 2015).

  13. Wilkinson, R. et al. Sci. Total Environ. 909, 168584 (2024).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  ADS  Google Scholar 

  14. Mytton, D. npj Clean Water 4, 11 (2021).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  15. Franck, M. Pace Int. Law Rev. 35, 159 (2023).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  16. Poonuganti, S. Chic. J. Int. Law 23, 490–525 (2022).

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

We are grateful for support from the University of Exeter Open Innovation Platform, funded by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Environment and Sustainability Institute, University of Exeter, Penryn, UK

    Karen Anderson, Magdalena M. Mleczko, Markus Mueller, Ruby Wilkinson, Xiaoyu Yan & Kevin J. Gaston

  2. Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, Penryn, UK

    Robert J. W. Brewin & Jamie D. Shutler

Authors
  1. Karen Anderson
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Robert J. W. Brewin
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Magdalena M. Mleczko
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Markus Mueller
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Jamie D. Shutler
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Ruby Wilkinson
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  7. Xiaoyu Yan
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  8. Kevin J. Gaston
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Contributions

K.A. conceived the idea during collaborative discussions with K.J.G., X.Y., R.J.W.B., M.M. and J.D.S. K.A. drafted the manuscript and summarized the analyses performed by M.M.M. and R.W. K.A. led the editing of the final piece. R.J.W.B. and M.M.M. contributed ideas relating to remote sensing and edited the manuscript with the other authors. M.M.M. performed literature searches, drew the figures and estimated the size of global EO data holdings. M.M. contributed ideas relating to data centres and sustainable computing and edited the manuscript with the other authors. J.D.S. contributed ideas relating to remote sensing and sustainable computing and edited the manuscript with the other authors. R.W. performed literature searches, mining EO reports and websites for information. X.Y. contributed ideas relating to EO life-cycle analysis and edited the manuscript with the other authors. K.J.G. contributed various ideas across the whole piece and provided major input to the writing and editing of the piece.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Karen Anderson.

Ethics declarations

Competing interests

The authors declare no competing interests.

Peer review

Peer review information

Nature Sustainability thanks Jeffery Greenblatt and Loïc Lannelongue for their contribution to the peer review of this work.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Anderson, K., Brewin, R.J.W., Mleczko, M.M. et al. The dark side of Earth observation. Nat Sustain 7, 224–227 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41893-023-01262-x

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41893-023-01262-x

  • Springer Nature Limited

Search

Navigation