Episode 284: Eyes on the Earth, Power in Orbit: Climate Intelligence and the New Geography of Geopolitical Risk with Sabrina Alam

Today, Dominic Bowen hosts Sabrina Alam on The International Risk Podcast to explore the intersection of Earth observation, ESG verification, and the geopolitics of space-based data. They discuss how satellites have become central to sustainability reporting, climate monitoring, and economic decision-making, while also forming part of critical infrastructure and geopolitical competition. Together they examine how ownership, access, and governance of orbital data are shaping transparency, sovereignty, and resilience across global markets.

Sabrina Alam explains why Earth observation is now integral to environmental accountability, how fragmented standards threaten the credibility of ESG frameworks, and what international cooperation is needed to ensure equitable access to space-derived information. The conversation highlights the dual-use nature of satellite technology, the rise of commercial constellations, and the urgent need for interoperability between sustainability and space governance.

Sabrina Alam is Director in Sustainability Advisory and EU Space Lead at KPMG Luxembourg. She advises governments, institutions, and private-sector partners on the integration of space-based data into sustainability strategies, ESG reporting, and resilience planning.

The International Risk Podcast brings you conversations with global experts, frontline practitioners, and senior decision-makers who are shaping how we understand and respond to international risk. From geopolitical volatility and organised crime, to cybersecurity threats and hybrid warfare, each episode explores the forces transforming our world and what smart leaders must do to navigate them. Whether you’re a board member, policymaker, or risk professional, The International Risk Podcast delivers actionable insights, sharp analysis, and real-world stories that matter.

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Transcript:

[00:00:01] Sabrina:
When we talk about ESG, Earth observation enables verification of that. When we talk about your supply chain, you saw what happened with [00:00:10] Russia and Ukraine and what that did to the energy and gas market.

[00:00:12] Sabrina:
So all of these things — Earth observation plays a huge role in being able to predict consumer base, being able to [00:00:20] predict certain trends that are taking place, being able to predict migration patterns — play a huge role in your supply chains.

[00:00:28]
Welcome back to the [00:00:30] International Risk Podcast, where we discuss the latest world news and significant events that impact businesses and organisations worldwide.

[00:00:37] Dominic:
[00:00:40] Hi, I’m Dominic Bowen and welcome back to the International Risk Podcast, where we unpack the international risks that are shaping our world. Today we’re gazing to the [00:00:50] skies, and more specifically to the satellites orbiting above us and the data that they’re collecting. From tracking wildfires to forecasting food insecurity, observation is [00:01:00] revolutionising how we can respond and prepare for environmental shocks.

But beneath what is really a positive veneer of sustainability, there’s also a deeper and more contested reality that we’re going to explore [00:01:10] today. Space-based climate intelligence is becoming a source of strategic advantage, sometimes exclusion, and of course, geopolitical tension and opportunity.

[00:01:19] Dominic:
[00:01:20] So who controls climate forecasting in a fragmented world? What are the implications when satellites can become instruments of not just resilience, but also power? We’re going to explore these things and we’re going to do it with a [00:01:30] leading voice at that intersection of sustainability, finance, and space strategy.

[00:01:34] Dominic:
Our guest today is Sabrina Alam. She’s a Director in the Sustainability Advisory Practice at [00:01:40] KPMG Luxembourg and the EU Space Lead for the firm’s growing space programme. She’s worked for the European Space Agency, for NASA Goddard, SES Satellites, and [00:01:50] advises clients ranging from the European Commission to global financial institutions. A physicist by training and sustainability strategist by vocation, she now leads high-[00:02:00]level engagements on space sustainability, ESG integration, and the role of space technologies in shaping climate and geopolitical risk.

Sabrina, welcome to the [00:02:10] International Risk Podcast.

[00:02:11] Sabrina:
Thank you very much. I’m really looking forward to being here and to discussing what I think is a huge and upcoming topic. You know, I mentioned to you before we jumped [00:02:20] into this that it’s interesting because the topic itself and everything surrounding EO is so highly regarded and talked about, but what we don’t talk about are the risks [00:02:30] associated with it and what it means on a geopolitical level as well.

So, very excited to be here and thank you for the opportunity.

[00:02:36] Dominic:
Great. Well, let’s jump in. Sabrina, many people still [00:02:40] associate space technology with exploration or technical innovation — and that’s great, and that’s fun — but the rise of Earth observation satellites, especially commercial constellations, has really [00:02:50] turned orbit into a powerful lens on geopolitical and environmental risk.

So if we can start talking about that, how have these Earth observation satellites evolved over the [00:03:00] last decade, and why is it now not just a geopolitical asset, but even a sustainability tool as well?

[00:03:05] Sabrina:
What we’ve seen in the last few years is a huge understanding and uptake of [00:03:10] Earth observation data, technology and so on, integrated into other industries. It’s now become a huge topic because where we see everything [00:03:20] from climate change taking place to migration trends and so on, it’s being used in all aspects of sustainability — for financial institutions, [00:03:30] insurance companies, for governments to understand how they can do their long-term planning, resilience planning, early-warning system development.

Luxembourg — and I’m based in [00:03:40] Luxembourg — only just, I think last week, released or launched their Earth Observation Dual-Use Satellite. So we are seeing more and more of this taking place. And quite [00:03:50] frankly, I think Earth observation is really the key to planning, to targeting, to understanding the Earth — to understand what are some of the trends taking place, where are the risks, [00:04:00] and where are the vulnerabilities of the planet.

[00:04:03] Sabrina:
And for locating what we call heat maps — and I don’t just mean temperature-wise — but those areas globally that are at [00:04:10] risk of flooding, for example, that are at risk of wildfires and so on. So we are seeing more and more of this, particularly as we see sustainability becoming an ever-[00:04:20]more important topic.

[00:04:21] Sabrina:
We’re seeing the rise in the importance of observation in that narrative. And we’re also seeing that, for example, in the US, [00:04:30] NOAA, who have been the leading data providers in this area, we’ve seen how lack of funding also affects resilience planning and how it actually is [00:04:40] causing an issue when it comes to detecting and fast manoeuvring of disaster management responses.

I mean, we saw what happened in Texas about a month ago with the floods and [00:04:50] how it affected those girls at the summer camp, and that’s exactly why Earth observation data is so key. And that’s exactly why [00:04:57] the world needs it — especially [00:05:00] today, given the extreme weather events that we’re seeing.

[00:05:02] Dominic:
I’m just wondering about that on a practical level. We know that this is now foundational for disaster financing, infrastructure vulnerability [00:05:10] assessments, strategic humanitarian actions, and there are some organisations doing really exciting work. But I’m wondering on a very practical level — for our listeners who might not be scientists, [00:05:20] physicists, or meteorologists — can you help us understand how this data is being used in climate risk, in anticipating displacement, and in shaping [00:05:30] development, urban planning, and humanitarian actions around the world?

[00:05:33] Sabrina:
You have various types of satellites and they can sit in different orbits. So we have those orbits called the low Earth orbit [00:05:40] which is the closest to the Earth.

Those satellites and those constellations essentially are close to the Earth; however, the actual [00:05:50] viewpoint is quite narrow because they are close. The further we get away from Earth in terms of where it’s placed in orbit, the broader we can see. However, the degree of [00:06:00] accuracy decreases. And so that’s exactly how it works in this domain.

[00:06:04] Sabrina:
And so, as technology advances and as there’s been more and more funding into Earth observation satellites, what [00:06:10] we are seeing is better accuracy and monitoring — which means we can actually see things happening as they happen, or with a very small lag. And [00:06:20] that’s allowing countries to actually make strategic decisions.

It’s allowing private industry in all different types of domains — whether you’re an [00:06:30] agricultural organisation or you rely on agriculture from coffee beans to vegetation health and so on — to [00:06:40] finance certain buildings or ventures and investments that are placed in vulnerable areas, or those domains that are potentially at [00:06:50] risk from sea-level rise.

And so all of that plays a role in how countries, how the private sector, how business models, and how society are going to [00:07:00] shape going forward. Such data allows tracking over a long period of time, which can then be used to make informed decisions [00:07:10] essentially.

On the other hand, we are seeing trends; we are seeing things change from weather, from migration patterns to disaster [00:07:20] displacement forecasting. And the idea is that such technology enables extraction of data to be analysed and again, to ensure that the right plan is put into [00:07:30] place, and countries and nations are able to actually take this on and deal with it in advance.

[00:07:36] Dominic:
I am wondering — with so much of the world’s high-resolution capability, and [00:07:40] you talked about the impact of being further away — when we talk about this high-resolution Earth observation capability and it’s concentrated in such a small group of actors, I can’t help [00:07:50] but think that this poses risk to equity, to access, to privacy, to security, and even to scientific progress and collaboration.

Can you help us understand the risks in terms [00:08:00] of insurance, diplomacy, strategic forecasting, and geopolitics?

[00:08:04] Sabrina:
Great point. Let’s go back to who controls these high-resolution satellites first of all. So what we [00:08:10] do see is that there are certain nations and the big players out there — namely the US, China, India, particularly the EU and so on — that [00:08:20] really own the satellites. Then you also have the private sector.

And a lot of the time what happens is national and private sectors do work together, where governments actually [00:08:30] buy imagery from these private firms. The private sector players are Planet Labs, Airbus, Maxar and so on.

[00:08:40] Sabrina:
So because there are what we call the big nation states that own and control these satellites, and you have the private sector, what we are seeing is an aspect of [00:08:50] geopolitical leverage coming into play. And what that means, and what that could lead to, is potential narrative control — meaning that those who own the data can then decide how they want to [00:09:00] use it.

But those who don’t, don’t necessarily have the ability to be prepared or to understand, okay, well, what’s going to come, what’s going to happen?

[00:09:10] Sabrina:
The dependency as well is something quite important. Having access to such data and having access to these models allows governments [00:09:20] to have leverage almost. So when you are looking at trade, when you’re looking at risks associated with instability and disparity, that’s a huge [00:09:30] part of it.

What happens to those countries that don’t necessarily have, what we would say, the right level of education or the right level of understanding or funding [00:09:40] to actually own their satellites, or even to purchase certain data, or even to process that data and know what to do with it?

[00:09:49] Sabrina:
So then [00:09:50] there’s a huge reliance on those nations and those private sectors. And that could actually lead to a lot of lack of transparency, a lot of secrecy, and then [00:10:00] also, I would say, economic and political risk as well.

So when we talk about data monopolies, you only have a few organisations out there who have the ability to [00:10:10] provide such data, so they then control pricing; they can then use that as weapons almost. So weaponisation of access to data is a huge concern [00:10:20] going forward.

So these are some of the risks, but quite frankly, it’s such a never-ending story, and there’s so much associated with that. [00:10:30] And I think in order for us to progress, a lot of the trends from climate change, social dynamics, migration patterns, wildlife, and so on, [00:10:40] require global togetherness and actual sharing or openness and transparency of such data.

[00:10:47] Sabrina:
So it’s quite important that such [00:10:50] risks are addressed and that there are mechanisms in place to prevent those, and some of the things that I’ve just mentioned.

[00:10:57] Dominic:
If we look at China, they present the Space Silk Road [00:11:00] as a mission of peaceful, inclusive development that’s really aiming to share space technology for global progress and humanitarian purposes. Some of the official [00:11:10] narratives talk about cooperation, diplomacy, goodwill, and support — which is great.

I think we’re all behind that. Some analysts, however, have argued that China’s Space Silk Road has been [00:11:20] offering satellite data and infrastructure to Belt and Road countries in order to lock them into Chinese technological ecosystems, to reinforce economic and political dependence. [00:11:30] Is this a reasonable example of how concerns about what’s happening in space are being used [00:11:35] on land as part of geopolitical leverage?

[00:11:37] Sabrina:
I think that’s a perfect example, [00:11:40] quite honestly, and I think the example really outlines how Earth observation data can be used in a friendly way — good for everyone — but actually [00:11:50] also highlights some of the dangers and potential risks behind it, and the concerns from other nations.

[00:11:55] Sabrina:
Again, when you weaponise the ability to own the data, to control the [00:12:00] data, it really does become a huge risk — and even to the private sector. Everything from the licensing rules to being able to have an [00:12:10] orbital slot, to using that position, to actually being able to [00:12:14] have access to those areas, those regions, plays a huge role in [00:12:20] how society is shaped going forward. And I think that’s a perfect example of those concerns being flagged.

[00:12:26] Dominic:
With some companies like Starlink having thousands and [00:12:30] thousands of low Earth orbit satellites — and of course there are many more commercial entities really leading this — as Earth observation satellites become increasingly commercialised, are there risks that [00:12:40] we should be considering around trust, interoperability, space junk, and equitable access?

[00:12:45] Sabrina:
I mean, honestly, this is a huge topic within the space world. This also falls under the [00:12:50] concept of space sustainability. So of course, if we go back to the orbital slots, if we go back to space, although it might seem like it’s never [00:13:00] ending and there’s this huge domain out there for us to explore, actually there is limited space for satellites to sit in orbit.

[00:13:06] Sabrina:
And so the more and more satellites that are put up there, [00:13:10] the less space there is for more players to also either have the rights to those slots, to have certain frequencies, but also to actually launch and take up [00:13:20] that space. And what that does cause is again this concept of monopoly or lack of access to rights.

[00:13:26] Sabrina:
What happens when other nations want to [00:13:30] put a satellite up? Does that mean that they can’t, because private players who have maybe billions in funding have already done it? They then control again the purpose [00:13:40] and how it’s used, which again leads to nations depending on the private sector — which causes its own issues in itself.

[00:13:47] Sabrina:
One of the biggest things as well is that [00:13:50] when there are constellations, as you mentioned, that are up there, they then control or have all the rights over how the data is extrapolated, how [00:14:00] it’s then put on the market — which leads to concerns of how you standardise this.

[00:14:05] Sabrina:
Then how do you ensure that the gaps are being filled? How do [00:14:10] you ensure that there is equality and fairness across the globe in terms of what we’re seeing? Starlink is a great example of [00:14:20] exactly where this might be used and how it’s been used for good — where we saw that Starlink was being used in deployment when we talked about Ukraine — but also [00:14:30] at the same time, how vulnerable that is when the owner decides actually this isn’t what they want to do anymore.

[00:14:37] Sabrina:
So where does that leave these nations? [00:14:40] And how can you ensure reliability and long-term use when there’s so much political and economic dependency behind these [00:14:50] constellations as well because of the structure that we are seeing Earth observation take, and the business models they’re taking at the moment?

[00:14:57] Sabrina:
I would say the concept of Earth observation [00:15:00] is meant to be — and although the world might not work like this — it’s meant to be a benefit for all. You are viewing the world, you’re viewing the globe, you have the ability to do that. But when you [00:15:10] control that narrative and when you’re able to deploy it or take it away at the will of one person, that’s where the danger arises.

[00:15:19] Sabrina:
It [00:15:20] then becomes an ecosystem that is at risk, because there’s huge instability in how you own that data going forward.

[00:15:28] Dominic:
I think that’s a really important point. [00:15:30] As you said, the Starlinks have been a vital technology, and I’ve had the blessing of being along the front lines in Ukraine — it really is just a huge, huge support to Ukrainian [00:15:40] forces, Ukrainian civilians, and humanitarian actors that are trying to work in contested areas.

But as you said, there’ve been times when Starlink has simply been turned off, and the impacts have been quite disastrous. [00:15:50] And so when you have this concentration of satellite infrastructure among just a few commercial actors, it brings systemic risks. And I know your organisation, [00:16:00] KPMG — and certainly me with my clients — we talk about systemic risk at the enterprise level and across the enterprise ecosystem, and looking at single points of failure and concentration of [00:16:10] risk when you’re relying on one geography or one group of suppliers.

But this looks like something happening at the strategic level — a systemic risk where if a few companies fail or there are [00:16:20] problems with acquisitions or shifts in corporate policy or owner- or CEO-directed policy, it really could have impacts on public safety, on climate science, or [00:16:30] humanitarian action.

[00:16:30] Dominic:
And I think also the other side of that coin is customer concentration. You know, if we see that there is a huge and, most likely, much more profitable interest in [00:16:40] supporting, for example, the defence or intelligence agencies, market volatility could be swayed in favour of those industries and those sectors — to the detriment [00:16:50] of science, climate, and humanitarian action.

So how do we mitigate that? If this were just within America, we might have various trade commissions or bodies that could step in and talk about [00:17:00] competitiveness. But when it comes to space, how do we govern this? How do we mitigate these risks?

[00:17:04] Sabrina:
I love the term you use — volatility.

[00:17:06] Sabrina:
It’s a significant and key term when defining [00:17:10] the space sector and the model of EO being used at the moment. It’s a hard one because how do you govern that?

[00:17:16] Sabrina:
How do you mitigate that? Well, firstly you have to think about who [00:17:20] are the institutions, who are the countries that again own it. What’s the current structure? Because the satellites — and essentially, in turn, the data — are being owned by key [00:17:30] players or a few key players, both across government and private sectors.

[00:17:33] Sabrina:
It needs to also be somewhat beneficial to them to be able to share this, to be able to [00:17:40] address how you can almost balance the needs of profitability versus openness versus transparency.

Some of the key things and initiatives that we are seeing, like the Global Framework for Climate Services, are providing [00:17:50] free real-time access to climate data and weather data.

[00:17:57] Sabrina:
We’re seeing groups pop up — like [00:18:00] in the UK, an organisation I used to work for called Space for Climate — which aims to bring together academia, institutions, private sector [00:18:10] and others, bridging that gap to ensure there is harmonisation, and that such data is used in the right way.

[00:18:17] Sabrina:
There are agreements and [00:18:20] standardisations as well. And I think the term standardisation is quite important. Again, at the end of the day, we know that the private sector and nations have objectives [00:18:30] for why they have these satellites in orbit and what they’re doing with this data.

[00:18:34] Sabrina:
However, if you’re able to standardise certain platforms and develop intelligent, [00:18:40] accessible platforms with transparency and certain levels of data, you then address both things: you’re still able to fund topics that might not be priorities at [00:18:50] the moment.

We’re seeing that with the EU at the moment — defence is really at the top of the agenda when we talk about space and Earth observation and how it can be used for military [00:19:00] purposes.

[00:19:00] Sabrina:
And now the term “dual use” comes into it. Everything that NATO wants to fund has to have a dual-use concept, and so does everything that the EU wants to fund [00:19:10] and the EIB, the European Investment Bank.

Everything is dual use — meaning there has to be a commercial use and a military use.

[00:19:18] Sabrina:
And if the military use needs [00:19:20] to come into play, they have the ability to cut off the commercial use and go full military. And that’s really where the concept comes into play.

We are seeing the dangers of this happening, where [00:19:30] priorities have shifted and those in power want to follow the trends.

[00:19:33] Sabrina:
They want to follow where the money is flowing, and so it’s important that there is an exchange of capacity-building [00:19:40] training programmes so that if priorities do adapt from nations, there are still organisations and academia that are able to utilise the data, able to utilise the [00:19:50] standard platforms.

They have the knowledge and they’re able to share that with nations that are in vulnerable positions. Small Island States, for example.

[00:19:57] Sabrina:
There should also be more funding [00:20:00] streams, quite frankly — whether through banks or associations and partnership frameworks. It’s important that institutions come [00:20:10] together on a global scale to ensure support and the guarantee that no matter what happens, how priorities shift, or what the risks are, they [00:20:20] still will have access to this data and will still be able to use it in the form that they need.

[00:20:25] Sabrina:
I think it’s really important — and a topic I just want to flag — that when we talk [00:20:30] about data, data is a huge term. It’s extremely broad, and it’s not a case of “here’s piles and piles of data” and that’s great.

At the end of the [00:20:40] day, you need to know: what’s your objective? How do you want to use this data?

[00:20:43] Sabrina:
What’s the data going to do for you? Whether you’re a nation, a private sector entity, or a financial [00:20:50] institution. Your objective will differ depending on what you want to use it for.

Ensuring that the streamlined process to enable that [00:21:00] objective is still in place is key.

[00:21:02] Sabrina:
Like I said, some of the things that I mentioned before are really important, but also representation — having forums where [00:21:10] private sector, governments, and individuals can come together, can share these thoughts and processes to enable and create a structure where these topics are [00:21:20] being discussed.

[00:21:20] Sabrina:
And essentially long-term planning of how such data and investment going forward are going to be beneficial, and that there’s a guarantee almost that [00:21:30] this works, you know? I would say it’s a huge model that needs to be addressed. So again, I’m glad we’re having this conversation.

[00:21:36] Sabrina:
It’s definitely a topic of discussion at the [00:21:40] moment, and it’s something that needs to be addressed sooner rather than later because the technology is there, the technology is moving, the geopolitical use [00:21:50] is moving at an ever-faster rate. So regulation, structural mechanisms, the way society uses this — it all needs to follow, and it needs to follow [00:22:00] pretty soon.

[00:22:01] Dominic:
You work for an impressive company, KPMG, that has a great list of clients. So when you are speaking with business leaders across Europe and when you are telling them the “so what” [00:22:10] and “why does this matter” — when there are so many priorities in front of business leaders today — what are your key messages?

[00:22:15] Dominic:
Why should this matter to European business leaders and business leaders in North [00:22:20] America?

[00:22:20] Sabrina:
Well, firstly, space — satellites, Earth observation, pretty much mainly the tool that we’re talking about when we talk about space-based data and [00:22:30] resources — it’s integrated into everything you do. From financial decision-making, investment, insurance, and verification [00:22:40] of your supply chain and transparency, and so on.

Again, there are so many points to this. There are so many uses of Earth observation data which are [00:22:50] beneficial to every single industry. The biggest industry now that uses Earth observation data is actually gas and oil.

[00:22:56] Sabrina:
So it’s significantly used to track key [00:23:00] sites, to track where minerals are, so that extraction plans can be built. And what we’re seeing is that financial institutions are also using it. When we talk about [00:23:10] climate risk, that’s a huge one. So now we’re not just talking about risk or financial decision-making based on profitability only, but actually:

[00:23:19] Sabrina:
What are [00:23:20] the climate risks associated with that? Are you vulnerable to certain things?

[00:23:24] Sabrina:
In the UK, about a year ago, there was a shortage of cucumbers and basic vegetables [00:23:30] because climate change had impacted areas in the south of Spain and North Africa, where the UK gets its main supply of vegetables from.

[00:23:37] Sabrina:
That was not foreseen, so what ended up [00:23:40] happening was that the UK and UK supermarkets had to start rationing tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers — things like that. And Earth observation plays a huge role [00:23:50] in that.

Those who drink coffee — Earth observation’s probably your best friend. You know, at the end of the day, being able to track how areas where coffee grains or coffee beans are [00:24:00] being grown and whether trends are going to take place allows farmers to actually yield better going forward, and that in turn affects the global supply chain.

[00:24:10] Sabrina:
On the other hand, you have those who work in procurement, for example, being able to ensure that your contracts, or verifying accountability within your [00:24:20] contracts — Earth observation allows that. Space-based tools allow that.

[00:24:23] Sabrina:
And those are just a few points where we are seeing the integration [00:24:30] of space into almost every single role that there is out there.

So this is what we say: if you want to be on the market, if you want to be there long term, it’s important to understand the trends. [00:24:40] It’s important to track, it’s important to know who you’re working with, and to ensure that they are working in the way that you expect them to.

[00:24:48] Sabrina:
And then also, on the other [00:24:50] hand, for those who work in compliance, regulation, reporting, and so on — if you want to reduce your costs, if you really want to data track, you want to data check, and so on — again, Earth [00:25:00] observation is your best friend out there.

With the EU putting out more and more regulations, particularly around sustainability, organisations are turning to space and saying, “Look, [00:25:10] we need to track our supply chain and we need to gather data from them.”

[00:25:13] Sabrina:
We need to ensure that that data is also trustworthy. On the other hand, we need to understand what the [00:25:20] risks are going forward, and this needs to be planned in our cost–benefit analysis.

If we have a new design out there, where are we going to source material from? Where are the best areas across [00:25:30] the world where this material can come from?

[00:25:33] Sabrina:
Earth observation allows that kind of full, holistic perspective of decision-making in businesses. Those who don’t use it [00:25:40] are using kind of business-as-usual models, which unfortunately aren’t the most reliable today.

And we’ve seen how that has negatively [00:25:50] impacted organisations and how it also leads investors down the wrong track.

[00:25:53] Sabrina:
Investors now are asking for more data than just, “What are your financial predictions?” And not only are [00:26:00] they asking for more data, they’re asking for verification of this data. They’re asking, How can I ensure that my money’s going towards the right place, and on a yearly basis, what’s [00:26:10] going to be my return?

Earth observation data allows for all of that.

[00:26:13] Sabrina:
And so this market has boomed in the last few years, and we are seeing it grow at an ever-[00:26:20]faster rate.

[00:26:20] Dominic:
I think that’s a really important point. And one thing that I have to always very delicately and diplomatically communicate to some senior business leaders is that we all accept that the business operating environment is not [00:26:30] the same today as it was 20 years ago, and it definitely isn’t the same as what it was ten or even five years ago.

And yet so many business leaders and organisations are still operating with [00:26:40] business-as-usual practices — the same ones used five, ten, and in some cases 20 years ago. So it’s certainly worthwhile at least exploring if this is something that needs to be understood [00:26:50] more. And I’d suggest for many companies it is.

But just in the last 60 seconds, Sabrina, a question we always ask our guests on The International Risk Podcast is: when you look around the world, when you see all the things that are [00:27:00] happening, what are the risks that concern you the most?

[00:27:02] Sabrina:
Quite frankly, I believe it’s the potential monopolisation and narrative control of Earth observation [00:27:10] data. We’re seeing right now everything that’s happening on a global level — from scarcity of resources to significant migration patterns, to [00:27:20] biodiversity loss, climate change, and so on.

[00:27:22] Sabrina:
And actually, this is the time where Earth observation data needs to be prominent to ensure that, as [00:27:30] a global society, we can function in the right way — that we have the right plans and the right resilience going forward.

If there are gaps in the data, [00:27:40] if the model isn’t being used in the right way, if we are just monopolising certain data that’s only being used in very small areas, the whole global supply chain will be [00:27:50] affected.

[00:27:50] Sabrina:
It’s almost like we have all the tech to ensure that the challenges we’re seeing today could be addressed. But unless the right mechanisms and these risks are addressed [00:28:00] properly, we are not going to deal with the global risks we’re seeing. We’re not going to address the world’s biggest problems on a global level.

Those are the things that concern me [00:28:10] the most, and it’s been great to work in this field and also see how we can come together at an international level to address this and to understand [00:28:20] different perspectives too.

[00:28:21] Dominic:
Great. Well, thanks for explaining that, Sabrina, and thank you very much for coming on The International Risk Podcast today.

[00:28:26] Sabrina:
Thank you so much. Thank you for having me. Very important topic — I hope I did [00:28:30] it justice.

[00:28:30] Dominic:
Fantastic. Thanks very much, Sabrina. I thought that was a really great conversation with Sabrina Alam. She’s the EU Space Lead at KPMG in Luxembourg and really a thought leader at [00:28:40] the intersection of space technology and sustainability.

Her insights have certainly helped me — and hopefully you as well — understand how satellites are not just a vantage point for science but also [00:28:50] really a hot space for access, foresight, and maybe even global power.

[00:28:54] Dominic:
This episode was produced and coordinated by Katerina Mazzucchelli. I’m Dominic Bowen, your host. Thanks [00:29:00] very much for joining us, and we’ll speak again in a few days.