With the help of artificial intelligence and the support of large companies, the NGOs WattTime and TransitionZero got down to work to develop their map. Climate TRACE, the name with which they have presented it to the world, allows you to see the CO2 emission of each region of the planet. Now, the web has become a system powered by more than 100 organizations, and Its goal is to offer truthful information and not biased by the interest of third parties.
Climate TRACE can be defined as the most detailed database current events in this area of study. How have they achieved it? From the official website, the group of organizations explains how it has been possible through “satellite images and other forms of remote sensing”; as well as “artificial intelligence and collective data science expertise to track human-caused GHG (greenhouse gas) emissions.”
One of the strongest points of this initiative is its rapid detection and level of detail. Thus, in just two years of existence, Climate TRACE has become the favorite tool of environmentalists and organizations alike.
The great powers, home to the highest CO2 emissions
No one expected otherwise. In the first five places on the list of the largest emitters, we find Russia, the United States, China and Iran. Despite the fact that the list uses data from 2021, the positions of each city are constantly updated on the Climate TRACE website.
But you can not only see a list of who are the countries with the highest CO2 emissions. In addition, you can also compare between different regions. For example, the three most emitting cities in the United States, together emit some 133 million tons of CO2 per year. That is approximately 12% more than all that a country like Venezuela produces each year.
On the other hand, Climate TRACE allows you to download all this information to your computer. Therefore, you can use it later for your studies, analysis or any other task that requires having this detailed and differentiated information by regions, sectors, and sources.
Climate TRACE was born as a strategy to avoid biased information
In a world increasingly polluted by gases of all kinds, knowing this information becomes a mandatory measure if we want to stop climate change. However, there is no denying that there are companies interested in giving opaque or erroneous information to continue exploiting environmental benefits.
That is why Climate TRACE was born. A partnership between more than 100 different organizations. Initially, it was made up of only two (WattTime and TransitionZero); and it was here that Google.org decided to contribute money to the cause. Thus, the project grew and relied heavily on artificial intelligence to emerge.
Its AI uses satellite data and calculations that allow it to detect the sector to which a specific facility belongs. For example, if it appears to be a place related to cattle, its size is calculated, and later its link to the meat and dairy industry. Then, the number of animals it could contain is calculated and this results in a fairly reliable estimate of the CO2 levels emitted.
Best of all is that organizations do not have to wait for data officially issued by the countryor by international organizations.