Satellite analysis was used in an investigation by Greenpeace's Unearthed arm to identify the significant deforestation done by the beef farming industry in Australia.
Analysing imagery from Sentinel Hub satellite data, Dr Martin Taylor at the University of Queensland identified 13,500 hectares of deforestation in his local state since 2018 – an area more than twice the size of Manhattan – across 57 beef cattle properties.
READ: Space for good - how new satellite technology can help save the planet
This destruction of woodland was despite Queensland passing new laws in 2018 to curb deforestation, as Unearthed said loopholes left some landowners with significant scope to continue large-scale land clearances, including in areas classified as likely habitats for threatened species.
Brazilian meat giant JBS, the world's largest meat processor, which has significant operations in the region, could not rule out if any of its meat was coming from the properties identified.
Unearthed said UK shoppers could soon buy meat linked to deforestation in Australia as meat exports are a major element of the trade deal currently under negotiation with the UK, based on the agreement signed in June that included increasing tariff-free beef quotas for Australia over the next decade, and where UK ministers have quietly dropped commitments on climate change from Britain’s demands.
The satellite analysis for Unearthed was conducted by Dr Taylor using Sentinel Playground, a free web application from Sentinel Hub that uses the platform's technology to enable easy discovery and exploration of full-resolution Sentinel-1, Sentinel-2, Landsat 8, DEM and MODIS imagery.
The graphical interface creates a massive resource for anyone interested in analysing the natural or manmade changes on the Earth’s surface.
It is part of a trend of increasingly wide uses of satellite imagery, from non-profit organisations to investigative journalists.
Spire Global Inc (NYSE:SPIR), for example, uses its constellation of over 100 small CubeSats to observe data and predict environmental change and also provide maritime tracking services, while Planet Labs Inc and Iceye Oy both provide change detection services where their collection of satellites are used to photograph every inch of the Earth’s surface and allow fine comparisons to be made.
Planet’s technology was used to document the existence and size of the Uighur Muslims detention camps in China, a secret missile base in Iran and illegal deforestation in the Amazon.