Protecting the World’s Forests from Greater Threats
The forests of our world have been particularly vulnerable to the troubles brought on by climate change. SSPI’s Better Satellite World campaign has featured multiple videos from SSPI Members on this issue:
Cellular Ends at Forest Edge
Sponsored by
Fire brings us light, warmth, hope. And sometimes, terror. A forest fire is a massive wall of heat and flame. Driven by high winds, it can leap across roads, spin into columns of fire and turn homes into ash. But every year around the world, men and women walk into the fire to save the forest, the homes and the people. They are wildfire fighters, and they do one of the hardest jobs in the world.
Working 16 hours a day for 2 or more weeks straight, they go without showers or regular meals. And they sleep on the ground. Most of all, in that same unforgiving ground, they dig. Water isn’t enough to fight forest fires. They are too big for that. Digging trenches and burning brush keeps fuel away from the fire. And so, they dig.
It’s a dangerous job. An average of 19 American wildfire fighters perish in the flames each year. To save forests and homes and lives, including their own, firefighters turn to satellite technology. Weather data from space provides accurate forecasts of conditions on the ground. Satellite image data helps fire commanders see where fires are and makes it possible for artificial intelligence to predict their course. But all the knowledge in the world can’t help unless it reaches the firefighters on the line.
A company called Kymeta produces a satellite terminal that mounts easily on the roofs of cars or at basecamp. With the push of a button, the Kymeta u8 terminal powers up and connects to a satellite without the need for specialized training. It provides a local WiFi signal that lets commanders and firefighters use the phones, tablets and laptops they are used to. The cost of the terminal and connectivity are bundled into a single package, making it easy and affordable. Read More
Footing the Climate Bill for the World
Sponsored by
The vast forests of the tropics are givers of life. Eighty percent of the Earth’s land animals and plants live there. And more than 250 million of the world’s poorest people make their livings from the forest.
Forests matter. The trees of the Amazon produce one-fifth of the oxygen we breathe. All the world’s forests keep more than 200 billion tons of carbon out of the atmosphere. But every year, fire, bulldozers and lumber crews clear millions of hectares of forests – an area bigger than New Zealand. In just the last 40 years, the world has lost a forest area equal in size to all of Europe.
Stopping deforestation is hard. The poor people most affected by it have little power to change things. Much of it breaks national laws, but overstretched governments struggle to stop it.
Planet Co-Founders to be Inducted into the Space & Satellite Hall of Fame
Did you know that the three former astronauts who co-founded Planet Labs PBC – Chris Boshuizen, Will Marshall and Robbie Schingler – will be inducted into the Space & Satellite Hall of Fame this March? Read the full announcement.
One nation, however, stands out. The government of Norway is the first to fund programs that help tropical nations rein in deforestation. A grant to Brazil in 2008 helped preserve enough forest to keep 3 billion tons of carbon out of the air. A 2010 agreement with Indonesia offered incentive payments for reducing emissions – and that nation’s carbon output dropped by half in just a few years.
In 2020, Norway took another step. It announced a first-of-its-kind public-private partnership with Planet, Airbus and KSAT. Together, they would provide access to detailed satellite imagery covering 64 countries – all for free. Read More