Præsentation af udstillingen "Klimaforandringer set fra rummet"

Ladies and gentlemen – a warm welcome to all of you. I am happy that you have found the time to attend this event to present the impressive and interesting exhibition: Understanding Climate Change from Space.

I am pleased to welcome the panel of speakers: We have two people from ESA: Mr. Hulsrøj, the Director of international relations and legal affairs, and Mr. Briggs, who is Head of Science, applications and future technologies department. They will tell you about the exhibition and ESA's activities in climate research.

With us today we also have Mr. Forsberg, a Danish researcher who has participated in climate research for many years and is an expert on the Arctic.

And finally – and as one of the few lucky people to have visited the International Space Station two times – I am happy to welcome ESA-astronaut Mr. Fuglesang. I look very much forward to hear about his personal experience of observing the Earth from this human outpost in space.

The value of space data for climate research

As Danish Minister responsible for space, I am grateful to ESA for their effort to organise the "Space for Climate Change" exhibition here in Copenhagen.

I wish to thank all the ESA staff who has worked hard to realise the exhibition. It is a remarkable exhibition which is bound to attract a lot of attention.

Space is absolutely crucial for observing our Earth and climate.
Without satellite data we would not be aware of how serious the climate changes are.

Data from satellites have contributed to establish reliable climate scenarios, and the negotiations taking place right now are based on such data.

So the climate conference is an obvious occasion to emphasise the important role satellites have in climate research today. And I am sure that you will agree with me that the visualisation of Cryosat in this exhibition will enhance our awareness of the global climate changes. 

Danish contribution to CryoSat

In that respect I am both pleased and proud that there is an important Danish contribution to the CryoSat mission:

Firstly: Researchers from the Niels Bohr Institute at the University of Copenhagen were part of the team of European scientists who suggested CryoSat to ESA back in 1998.

Secondly: CryoSat will carry three very precise star tracker cameras designed and built by the Danish company TERMA.

And thirdly: Both the space department of the Technical University of Denmark and the Danish Met-Office  have been involved with preparing the data uptake from CryoSat.

Once CryoSat is launched, the Danish Met-Office, the Geo-Survey of Denmark and Greenland, the University of Copenhagen as well as the Technical University of Denmark will make use of its data. Like so many others around the globe, we in Denmark look forward to the launch of CryoSat2.

Denmark's support to climate change research.

In our effort to support research in the climate change area, Denmark has been part of ESA's Earth Observation Envelope Programme since its start in 1999.

It is the Danish participation in this programme that has made it possible for Danish researchers and Danish industry to contribute to the CryoSat mission.

In light of the growing need for climate change research, the Danish government has decided to increase the Danish contribution to ESA's earth observation programmes. As a result we are now contributing with an extra 175 million kroner for the years 2009 to 2012.

Now Denmark also contributes to ESA's Climate Change Initiative and to the development of an instrument for the Space Station that will study giant flashes in the atmosphere. I am certain that the money we spend on these activities serve a very useful purpose to the benefit of climate and science.

Before I pass on the floor to Mr. Hulsrøj I want to tell that instead of spending money on conference kits to the COP15 participants in the Bella Centre the Danish Government has invited 11 international students to Denmark.

These students come from all over the world and they are in Denmark to study climate change for a two year period. Some of these students are also present here today.

[Speeches by Peter Hulsroj, Stephen Briggs, Rene Forsberg and Christer Fuglesang]

I wish to thank the speakers for their motivating words and for telling us about the serious background for the exhibition. The exhibition is an impressive eye-opener and it is now time for us to take a closer look at it.

In addition to the four speakers, we have invited a number of scientists from ESA and Denmark. They will be happy to share your impressions of the exhibition and ready to give you more details as you look at it.

Please follow me outside and thank you for coming.