New fire-detecting satellite launches into space 

FireSat, a new satellite that can detect and monitor wildfires, launched into space on March 15. 

And while the name may sound like the kind of thing a Bond villain would use to hold the world hostage, this prototype satellite actually aims to help Earth’s heroes find and stop fires before they spread. 

Environmental Defense Fund scientists conceived of the satellite-based fire detecting system and led its early development. It's now owned and operated by Earth Fire Alliance, with scientific support from EDF. By 2030, the alliance plans to have a fleet of 50 firefighting satellites capable of scanning the globe for fires every 20 minutes.  

This near real-time data will also provide researchers with the kind of information they need to improve wildfire response and management.  

$200 billion to save nature 

Last month, world leaders came together at a U.N. conference in Rome and finally opened their wallets. At the meeting, called COP16, nearly 200 countries agreed to commit $200 billion to save Earth’s biodiversity by 2030.  

The best part? The funding mechanism will be permanent and Indigenous communities and local leaders helped shape the discussions. 

Air quality improves in London

It may still be foggy in London Town, but that fog is now a lot cleaner. A study found that vehicle emissions in London have dropped 27% since a 2023 expansion of a clean air program that charges the most polluting vehicles. 

The study also noted that air quality had improved in 99% of the areas in London researchers have monitored since 2019. 

The program targets older, dirtier vehicles in an effort to reduce nitrogen dioxide emissions, a toxic gas from car engines that has been linked to an increased risk of lung cancer. 

Solar surges in U.S. 

The U.S. power grid added 50 gigawatts of solar energy in 2024. That's more energy added in a single year from any source in more than two decades. (And by Robert Zemeckis' calculations, enough gigawattage to send about 42 DeLoreans back to the future.)

Even though the current administration openly prefers oil and gas, their own Energy Information Administration says it’s expecting solar and batteries to be the leading sector for new energy capacity on the U.S. grid in 2025.