It orbits from pole to pole and monitors areas where fires are burning. First, it helps firefighters make decisions about which fires to fight and how to fight them. Second, fires diminish air quality. This poses a health risk to the public. Third, and most crucial for the long-term, a tremendous amount of burning affects our global climate.
Wildfires release greenhouse gases, such as methane, carbon monoxide, and carbon dioxide.
Once released into the atmosphere, these gases trap heat in the same way that greenhouses trap heat to cultivate plants. That's why people call this the Greenhouse Effect. By reflecting light, instead of absorbing it, aerosols have a cooling effect. But even this can't counter the warming effect of greenhouse gases. Rain washes out aerosols from the atmosphere in a few days.