FAQs
If you cannot find the answer to your question here, please contact climate.detectives@esa.int
Climate Detectives is an ESA and ESERO school project for students up to 19 years old. Teams of students identify and investigate a real local problem related with environment and climate by using and analysing data from ground measurements and/or data from Earth observation satellites. After drawing conclusion students decide on actions they want to take to ‘to make a difference’ and help raise awareness of the problem and help to reduce it. At the end, all participating teams share their research findings on the Climate Detectives platform and one team per country will be selected by their ESERO to take part in the Climate Detectives Summit
Starting in 2023-2024, Climate Detectives has a new category for younger students – Climate Detectives kids. By participating in the non-competitive Climate Detectives kids project, young students (up to 12 years old) will learn about Earth’s science and environment through selected learning resources and hands-on activities as well as understand the importance of respecting our environment. Teachers can choose up to 2 learning selected learning resources and activities to work on different Earth Science topics or create their own. After finishing an activity, students will collect evidence of their discoveries and earn badges for each activity and a virtual certificate as a recognition of their detective work to understand and protect our home planet. The evidences collected will be displayed in a virtual gallery.
Climate Detectives
The Climate Detectives project features three steps, which are not focused on a special time range anymore.
- Step 1– Identify a climate problem and submit your investigation plan, from 17 September
- Step 2– Investigate the climate problem
- Step 3– Share results and make a difference, until latest 6 April 2026
Teams have up to 8 months to complete their Climate Detectives projects. It opens at the 17 September 2025 and should be completed 6 April 2026 before the Climate Detectives Summit in May 2026. It is recommended to check the national dates of your country.
Climate Detectives Kids
The project is open from 17 September 2025 to 31 July 2026. Teams can submit the activities all at once or in different moments.
Climate Detectives
To join the Climate Detectives advanced category you must be part of a team (2 students up to the whole class) and supported by a team leader. If there is a national organiser in your country, you have to apply to the project through it. Check if there is a project being run in your country here and find out if you have to submit an investigating plan or if you can get feedback for it from national experts.
If there is no national organiser, teams have to apply to the project through the ESA Education office. The investigation plans is not mandatory to be submitted. Teams should read carefully the eligibility criteria of the project before joining it.
Climate Detectives Kids
To join the Climate Detectives kids project you can apply to the project through the ESA Education Office. To receive a badge it is mandatory to submit an evidence of at least one completed activity. Teams should read carefully the eligibility criteria of the project before joining it.
Yes. In both Climate Detectives or Climate Detectives Kids, a team leader can sign up student teams for the Climate Detectives and for Climate Detectives Kids version.
Climate Detectives
To participate in Climate Detectives, teams should be supported by a team leader (a teacher, educator or parent). The project must be submitted by the teacher, educator or parent.
Participation in Climate Detectives is open to teams of students aged up to 19 years old.
A student team must comprise of a minimum of 2 students and each student team member must respect one of the following conditions:
- Team of students enrolled full-time in a school;
- Team of students in home schooling condition (certified by the National Ministry of Education or delegated authority);
- Team of members of a social club enrolled full-time in a school.
The student team must be resident of an ESA Member State, Canada, Latvia, Lithuania or Slovakia, and at least 50% of the students included in a team must be nationals (i.e. have the nationality) of an ESA Member State, Canada, Latvia, Lithuania or Slovakia.
Only in exceptional cases may a student team, composed of nationals of an ESA Member State, Canada, Latvia, Lithuania or Slovakia, but not residing in one of these countries, be deemed eligible. The assessment and approval of such cases remain at the sole discretion of ESA Education.
Climate Detectives Kids
To participate in Climate Detectives Kids, teams should be supported by a team leader (a teacher, educator or parent). The project must be submitted by the teacher, educator or parent. Participation in Climate Detectives Kids is open to teams of students aged up to 12 years old.
A student team must comprise of a minimum of 2 students and each student team member must respect one of the following conditions:
- Team of students enrolled full-time in a school;
- Team of students in home schooling condition (certified by the National Ministry of Education or delegated authority);
- Team of members of a social club enrolled full-time in a school.
The student team must be resident of an ESA Member State, Canada, Latvia, Lithuania or Slovakia, and at least 50% of the students included in a team must be nationals (i.e. have the nationality) of an ESA Member State, Canada, Latvia, Lithuania or Slovakia.
Only in exceptional cases may a student team, composed of nationals of an ESA Member State, Canada, Latvia, Lithuania or Slovakia, but not residing in one of these countries, be deemed eligible. The assessment and approval of such cases remain at the sole discretion of ESA Education.
Climate Detectives
Teams from a country with a National Organisers can submit their investigation plan and final results of the project in their national language. If they have to submit an investigation plan depends on their National Organiser. If there is no National Organiser, teams have to apply to the project through the ESA Education office. Both, investigation plan and final project results can be submitted in the national language.
Climate Detectives Kids
To give evidence of joining the Climate Detectives Kids project, different kind of documentation can be uploaded, e.g., drawings, posters, etc. Therefore, the language is free to choose.
Climate Detectives
Yes. The project must include the use of data (from Earth Observation satellites OR ground measurements) and entries should point out the relation with environment or climate. To ideas on how to access satellite data have a look here.
Climate Detectives
Yes. All teams that share their final projects on the Climate Detectives platform will receive a certificate of participation by email for their Climate Detectives work in the advanced category.
Climate Detectives Kids
For every activity submitted by the teams of Climate Detectives Kids, teams will receive a badge. After submitting the evidence for two completed activities, teams will receive a certificate.
Climate Detectives/ Climate Detectives Kids
We respectfully request that, as the team leader, you oversee your students’ responsible use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the development of their Climate Detectives project and support them in acquiring valuable STEM skills and competencies. The use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) is only permitted under the following guidelines:
- All core investigation work must be created by the students using non-AI tools. AI-generated imagery may only be used in addition to their original image(s). These must be clearly based and traceable to their original work.
- AI may be used to improve grammar, structure or clarity of written descriptions, but the description shall not be generated fully in AI.
- Any use of AI must be clearly documented by using the AI checkboxes in the project submission.
- Submissions that rely solely on AI-generated content without evidence of student-led design will not be accepted. Final judgement will be at the sole discretion of ESA Education.
If you experience problems or have further questions, please contact the ESA Education Team by writing an e-mail to climate.detectives@esa.int . When applicable, teams should contact their national organiser first.
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