# Passive Microwave Imagers, Their Applications, and Benefits: A Review
## 3 The Applications, Benefits, and Impacts of PMWIs on Society
The study of wildfires is another important area where PMWI data are applied. Wildfires have substantial negative impacts, not only endangering lives but also causing damage to infrastructure and natural resources. Furthermore, these events threaten people's livability since they negatively impact the agriculture and tourism industries [139]. Wildfires have extremely high suppression costs that have risen from USD 240 million in 1985 to USD 3.5 billion in 2022, according to the National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC). The cost of wildfires varies depending on geographical location; [PERSON] et al. developed a global wildfire vulnerability product and noted that the financial losses related to houses vary around the world, from 38 USD/m\({}^{2}\) in Madagascar to 56,603 USD/m\({}^{2}\) in Monaco [140]. [PERSON] reported that the 1998 Florida wildfire cost USD 880 million (1864 USD/acre), and the 2013 San Diego wildfires had a cost of USD 2.45 billion (6516 USD/acre), resulting in the loss of 24 commercial buildings. The monetary losses in the tourism industry were approximately USD 32.5 million and led to the unemployment of 5000 individuals, amounting to a 10% loss in gross productivity [139]. However, wildfires can also yield positive outcomes when fire suppression and rebuilding initiatives are performed locally. Under such circumstances, the area may witness a surge in economic activity related to rehabilitation efforts, which should not be mistaken for genuine economic growth [139]. PMWI data are also helpful for studying and assessing droughts [141]. Droughts have profound social and environmental impacts, often leading to non-market losses that are rarely explored in the scientific literature [142; 143]. An example is [PERSON] et al., who estimated the total cost of the 1988 drought across agriculture, transportation, power generation, recreation, commerce, and industry to be USD 39.2 billion [144]. However,Ding et al. questioned this value, as it did not account for federal disaster aid and crop insurance or the producer's gains due to the increased prices of goods [142]. [PERSON] et al. estimated that the 2015 drought in California had a total economic impact of USD 2.7 billion while 21,000 jobs were lost. This value included direct losses, including USD 900 million in crop revenue loss, USD 350 million in dairy and livestock revenue loss, and USD 590 million in pumping costs [145]. In a similar study, [PERSON] et al. reported that the 2016 drought in California had a total economic impact of USD 603 million and 4700 employment losses. The monetary losses caused by this drought included direct losses worth USD 247 million in crop revenue losses and USD 303 million in pumping costs [146]. When evaluating the impacts of natural disasters, it is important to recognize that, while these events are predominantly associated with negative consequences, they may also have positive aspects. For instance, a drought that raises the prices of goods in one region can attract goods from another, potentially offsetting the adverse effects at a national scale [142; 147; 148]. Conversely, improved forecasting skills, which reduce the economic losses of affected parties, might also diminish the gains of others in different regions, potentially neutralizing the net effect at a national level [148]. [PERSON] et al. note that after eight weeks of drought, any additional weeks have a minimal impact on farm income [147]. Similarly, [PERSON] et al. highlight that some economic effects of droughts, such as livestock losses, can take years to recover. Therefore, it is crucial to leverage available data to mitigate the effects of droughts as effectively as possible [142]. An average of 22 billion-dollar weather and climate events occurred in the U.S. between 2021 and 2023 (Figure 7). This value is more than six times the number of billion-dollar events from 1980-1989 (3.3 events per year). This increase can be attributed to increased exposure and vulnerability and the frequency of extreme events caused by climate change [149].