Climate TRACE

Climate TRACE (Tracking Real-Time Atmospheric Carbon Emissions) is an independent non-profit coalition of organizations building a timely, open, and accessible inventory of exactly where greenhouse gas emissions are coming from. The goal is to make meaningful climate action faster and easier by harnessing technology—including satellite imagery and artificial intelligence—to track greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and other pollutants with unprecedented detail and speed. The group monitors sources such as coal mines and power station smokestacks worldwide, delivering information relevant to all parties working to achieve net-zero global emissions. The coalition consists of several nonprofits and technology companies, including CarbonPlan, Earthrise Alliance, Global Energy Monitor, Hudson Carbon, OceanMind, Rocky Mountain Institute, TransitionZero, WattTime, Blue Sky Analytics, and Hypervine. Its emissions map represents the largest global inventory and interactive map of greenhouse gas emission sources. New data is typically released monthly, two months after the actual emissions occur. Recently, the project expanded to include tools that enable users to visualize air pollution plumes flowing into over 2,500 urban areas, making the microscopic threat of harmful particulate matter (PM2.5) visible to all. Additionally, it offers a tool that identifies potential decarbonization solutions for major emission sources, estimating how much pollution could be cut by specific actions like adopting renewable energy, electric vehicles, or industrial heat pumps. This data helps decision-makers triage and prioritize actionable strategies designed to maximize emissions reductions across different geographies and sectors.