Deforestation, pollution, waste trafficking:the European Space Agency satellites to track down environmental crimes from space

ESA has started a project for the systematic collection of satellite images and the prevention of crimes against the environment

"We are facing a new wave of environmental crimes."Lorenzo Colantoni, photographer, journalist and is convinced of this senior fellow of the Institute for International Affairs (IAI).In his years of fieldwork, Colantoni was able to see first-hand the devastating effect of human activities on natural habitats, from deforestation in the Amazon to mining illegal in Southeast Asian countries.In recent weeks, the IAI launched with the European Space Agency (ESA) the first research project on the use of satellite images to combat environmental crimes at a global level.The objective is to understand which uses have proven to be most effective and which not only technical, but also political, legal and social obstacles the application of this technology has encountered so far.«We want to go beyond simple environmental monitoring and discuss applications of satellite images that help us bring the guilty to court», explains Colantoni.The project also allows us to enhance Copernicus, the Earth observation program financed by the European Union which studies, among other things, climate change.

Images from space and field work

The ESA project is divided into two phases.The first will last approximately one year and involves the collection of case studies at a global level also through field missions by IAI researchers, fundamental for understanding the methods of use, the criminal methodologies and the political, social and environmental context.The second phase, lasting approximately six months, will consist of the analysis of all the data and information collected.«The satellite allows us to do things that were already done before but in a cheaper and more effective way», observes Colantoni.Along with data collection, the European Space Agency also aims to organize meeting opportunities to make the fight against environmental crimes an issue within everyone's reach.Today, 11 June, and tomorrow, 12 June, ESA and the JRC - the research center of the European Commission - have organized a workshops in Rome dedicated to environmental crimes.One of the topics discussed was precisely the role that new technologies can play, starting from satellite images, to combat the phenomenon.

The fight against deforestation (and beyond)

There are dozens of examples to which the new ESA and IAI project can be applied.They range from Japan, which has been grappling with the problem of forest abandonment for years, to the countries of South-East Asia, where the growing demand for critical materials has led to the expansion (in some cases even illegal) of mines.And obviously there is Europe, where – Colantoni reveals – «there are protected marine areas where even more fishing is done than in unprotected ones».However, one of the main fields of application of satellite images remains the fight against deforestation.«Often the disappearance of forests does not happen from 0 to 100 in the space of a day.It is a process – explains the researcher – that goes on step by step:it starts with forest degradation, then with the opening of the first infrastructures and then with fire or cutting that definitively destroys everything."Lorenzo Colantoni saw it with his own eyes during a recent trip to Indonesia, one of the countries where the production of palm oil has led to the destruction of entire forests.The use of satellite images allows us to monitor the evolution of the situation and warn local authorities, so as to intervene before the problem becomes too big.

Trade between the EU and South-East Asia

A recent testimony on environmental crimes, which (also) calls the European Union into question, comes from a reports on which Colantoni himself worked, together with his fellow researcher Alessio Sangiorgio.The document is titled Environmental crimes between the EU and South-East Asia and traces the commercial exchanges, both legal and illegal, between the two markets.In recent years, the authors write, collaboration between Brussels and the ASEAN countries (Association of South-East Asian Nations) has intensified, in particular with regard to some key sectors of the ecological transition.This consolidation of commercial ties has also been accompanied by a growth in illegal activities, "particularly those that damage the environment".Among the examples cited by the report are the export of palm oil to the European Union, largely associated with deforestation practices, but also the illegal importation of waste from EU countries.

The European squeeze and the problem ofenforcement

According to European Commission estimates, environmental crimes are increasing by 5-7% globally and now represent the fourth largest criminal activity in the world, as well as a major source of income for organized crime.And it is precisely to deal with the growth of this phenomenon that in recent years Brussels has developed a series of measures aimed at combating crimes against the environment.In 2023, for example, the EUDR was approved, the regulation pioneering the supply chains through which the EU aims to fight deforestation and the loss of biodiversity.The measure requires companies that export or place palm oil, cattle, soya, coffee, cocoa, wood, rubber, furniture or chocolate on the European market to demonstrate that these products do not contribute to deforestation.

Then, in February 2024, the European Parliament approved the new directive on environmental crimes, which increases prison sentences and fines for violators.Measures such as those just described have an undoubtedly ambitious objective.Enforcing them, however, is no walk in the park.«Many European policies now need strong attention toenforcement.Lately the Green Deal has brought out some measures that are not easy to implement", explains Colantoni.The activities aimed at ensuring compliance with the rules are entrusted to the police forces, who however "have limited resources and insufficiently specialized personnel at their disposal".Initiatives such as the one launched by ESA and IAI could lend a hand, which focuses on a more widespread and efficient use of satellite images to map and combat a constantly growing phenomenon.

On the cover:Multispectral images from the Ecuadorian Amazon (credits ©ESA)