Earth observation satellites and shifting practices/players/relations in global environmental governance

Keywords: Automation; Environmental Governance; Satellites; Space Science
Abstract Type: Virtual Paper Abstract

Abstract

It is often said that earth observation satellites are akin to having ‘eyes in the sky’. This conveys them as important pieces of techno-scientific infrastructure but obscures genealogies and that influence design and engineering, launch, as well as the use of data and imaging that get streamed back to earth. My research examines a specific earth observation satellite in attempt to understand its genealogy and theorize it with respect to global environmental governance. The satellite -- actually, a set of three satellites -- is called the RADARSAT Constellation Mission (RCM) and it is the newest in a longer series built in Canada. The paper begins by briefly situating and contextualizing RCM, Canada’s self-portrayals as a leader in space science and cooperation, and a Canadian robotics, space, and engineering company called MDA. Next, it turns to a specific time and place emblematic of shifting practices, players, and relations in global environmental governance: June 2020, at the edge of Ecuador’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) when 300 vessels, mostly flagged to China, arrived and began intensively fishing for squid. It concludes with some initial thoughts on what we can make of this example and a partnership that has since emerged wherein Canada shares RADARSAT vessel data with Ecuador and has contracted MDA to provide analytic support and training in techniques that automate the identification of vessels believed to be engaging in illegal and/or environmentally harmful activity.