After five years as the enthusiastic driver behind Space4Climate’s diverse and high-profile activities, Briony Turner is leaving to take up a new challenge.
During that time Briony has grown the membership – both in terms of numbers and the range of organisations. She has also grown the role of Space4Climate from being a climate data from space stakeholder group to raising the national and international profile of the UK Earth Observation community and enabling cross-sector development of climate services.
Briony says:
“It will not be easy to let Space4Climate go. I am so grateful to the Board and to our Chair Beth Greenaway, for supporting my ambitions for the growth of Space4Climate, on behalf of our members.
“It has been a unique opportunity to work with the most innovative organisations in UK Earth Observation – from Government agencies to universities and the commercial sector.”
Among the highlights of her term as Climate Services Development Manager, Briony picks out:
Adaptation Futures, South Africa, 2018 – Space4Climate hosted the only stand at this international conference that represented climate data from space, on behalf of the UK Earth Observation community. Briony presented the ambitious and very successful world cafe with Acclimatise, NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) and GEO (Group on Earth Observations).
COP26, Glasgow, 2021 – from ensuring that UK Earth Observation (EO) featured in both the public-facing Green Zone and the international delegations’ Blue Zone, to fronting the impressive Space4Climate / ESA stand, COP26 was a huge success. UK ESA astronaut Tim Peake joined the stand, along with a daily rota of Space4Climate members and Champions, presenting face-to-face and answering hundreds of questions every day throughout the 2-week event.
Engaging the future generation of Earth Observation experts – a particular highlight of COP26 for Briony was working with the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA) and UKSEDS (the national student space society), on the stand’s Youth Takeover days. Briony says: “We are making decisions every day about missions that will provide the data these young people will be working with in their future careers. To engage them and see how excited they were about what is already being delivered by the EO community was inspiring and energising. In the same way, having Tim with us and introducing him to the students still at school, inspired them, too.” Space4Climate’s ongoing work with early career researchers around the UK, including those who are part of the National Centre for Earth Observation (NCEO) and members’ graduate trainees as well as others, developed into the Space4Climate Champions. This active group has brought together people at all stages of careers pathways to promote, share expertise and build skills and confidence to engage and communicate with wider audiences.
Space4Climate Task Groups – setting up and seeing the success of our Task Groups, spanning the most urgent developments across a wide range of sectors has been rewarding for Briony. They draw on the expertise of our members to work directly with organisations that can benefit from the latest developments in climate data from space, and going the extra distance to give them the opportunity to positively influence and co-produce the services that will give them the information they need to take effective climate action.
Inclusivity and ethical dimensions of the climate data from space supply chain – this is particularly close to Briony’s heart. It includes participating in the UK Climate Resilience Programme project to create a standards framework for climate services. This has the potential for a lasting international legacy and Briony has been committed to drawing through that work into the climate data from space supply chain and professionalisation of space-enabled climate services.
Briony says: “It’s amazing the changes that we’ve seen during my time in the group; the membership, what the sector is doing, what the market is doing. I’m really proud of what we’ve achieved on our journey together and I’m really looking forward to seeing it continue and to being really proud of what Space4Climate goes on to achieve.”
Briony looks forward to continuing to work with contacts she has made in the past five years in her new role. She is leaving to become Programme Manager at the World Climate Research Programme’s new international office, based at ESA’s Climate Office, Harwell, as part of the coordination of the programme’s Climate Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP).
Beth Greenaway, Chair of Space4Climate and Head of Earth Observation and Climate at the UK Space Agency, thanked Briony, saying: “It is very sad for us, but a very good opportunity for Briony who deserves every success. What she has achieved for the group since 2017 is phenomenal, certainly not what we would class as the part-time role it has been at times!
“A huge thank you to Briony on behalf of the entire Space4Climate group. We will keep your legacy going!”
An interim appointment is being announced and the recruitment process to fill the role is underway.
