On 10 December 2009 ESA hosted a side event entitled 'Global Monitoring of our Climate: the Essential Climate Variables'. During the event, speakers from various agencies highlighted the role that Earth observation satellites play in providing systematic global climate observations.

The panel of speakers included (from left to right): Gilberto Camara, Director of the Brazilian Institute for Space Research (INPE) and CEOS Chair; Carolin Richter, Director of GCOS Secretariat; UK Met Office Head of Climate Research Vicky Pope; Olivier Arino, ESA’s Head of the Earth Observation Projects Section; Dr Stephen Briggs, ESA’s Head of Earth Observation Science, Applications and Future Technologies Department; and Jacqueline McGlade, Director of the European Environmental Agency.