Environmental Monitoring

Our world is rapidly changing with dangers lurking everywhere. We are witnessing a spike in wildfires and floods, in toxic air and water pollution, in industrial accidents in critical infrastructure.

Climate change-related natural disasters are on the rise. The toll in financial terms alone is huge, with costs to global economies estimated at over $5 trillion since 1980. Wildfires and polluted and warming oceans are just two examples of growing environmental concerns that we face.

About 4 million square kilometers of earth are impacted by wildfires each year globally with annualized losses estimated up to $285 billion annually. Wildfires account for up to 20% of total global greenhouse gas emissions and can disrupt transportation, communications, power and gas services, and water supply. They also lead to a deterioration of the air quality, and loss of property, crops, resources, animals and people.

Oceans are equally imperiled. Encompassing 70% of our planet and serving as the source of 50% of the oxygen we require, the ocean and its deteriorating health demands our immediate attention.

Each year, the oceans absorb 23% of human-caused carbon dioxide emissions and capture 90% of the excess heat created by these emissions. This widespread pollution of plastics and pesticides, coupled with the devastating effects of climate change, are causing ecosystem disruption and severely impacting biodiversity.

Industrial incidents such as gas and chemical leaks also have far-reaching consequences to the quality of our air and water.

How can technology mitigate all these grave dangers?