As climate change-driven wildfires continue to wreak havoc around the world, artificial intelligence, satellites, and drones are emerging as a potential solution to this problem. Despite repeated warnings from the scientific community about the gravity of the issue, our greenhouse gas emissions continue to rise year after year, resulting in deadly heatwaves, devastating wildfires, severe droughts, and powerful hurricanes. While these extreme weather events once used to be few and far between, they've become more frequent and lethal in recent years, a direct consequence of climate change. According to Munich Re, one of the world's leading insurance companies, weather and climate events killed more than 4,000 people worldwide and caused around $42 billion in insured losses in 2019. Wildfires in particular have become increasingly destructive in recent years. An average of 67,000 wildfires per year were recorded over the last 10 years in the United States, burning an average of 7 million acres of land, according to the National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC).

On a tower in the Brazilian rain forest, a sentinel scans the horizon for the first signs of fire. They don't blink or take breaks, and guided by artificial intelligence they can tell the difference between a dust cloud, an insect swarm and a plume of smoke that demands quick attention. In Brazil, the devices help keep mining giant Vale SA working, and protect trees for pulp and paper producer Suzano SA. In the future, it's a system that may be put to work in California, where deadly wildfires abound. The equipment includes optical and thermal cameras, as well as spectrometric systems that identify the chemical makeup of substances.