NEW YORK – In the near future, communities will gain the ability to track harmful soot pollution in their neighborhoods using advanced satellite systems and artificial intelligence. The initiative, spearheaded by a nonprofit coalition led by former Vice President Al Gore, aims to give people the same kind of tools they use to monitor approaching storms but focused instead on pollution that directly affects their health.
Gore, who previously launched Climate TRACE to use satellites in monitoring methane emissions, announced an expansion of the system on Wednesday. The updated platform now tracks not only greenhouse gases but also the sources and movement of soot, often described as fine particle pollution, in more than 2,500 cities across the globe. Scientific studies show that particle pollution is responsible for millions of deaths each year worldwide and tens of thousands annually in the United States alone, making this new monitoring system especially urgent.
The coalition behind this project has assembled an extensive network of resources, including 300 satellites, more than 30,000 ground-based tracking sensors and sophisticated artificial intelligence. Together, these tools track over 137,000 sources of particle emissions. Among these, 3,937 sources are identified as “super emitters,” facilities or locations that release extremely large amounts of pollution into the atmosphere. While the system currently allows users to analyze long-term pollution trends, Gore has said that his team hopes to make daily tracking available within a year. Once that becomes possible, the data could even be incorporated into popular weather apps alongside daily forecasts and allergy reports, giving people highly localized information about air quality.
One of the most notable aspects of this initiative is its ability to identify not only the presence of pollution but also the specific polluters responsible for it. On the project’s website, users can see where pollutants originate and which industries or facilities are contributing to the problem. Gore emphasized that this was nearly impossible to do before artificial intelligence made it feasible to analyze enormous amounts of satellite and sensor data in real time.
He explained that giving people clear visibility into what is happening in their own neighborhoods is a powerful step. “When it’s over their homes and in their neighborhoods, and when people have a very clear idea of this, then I think they’re empowered with the truth of their situation,” Gore said. Drawing from his personal faith tradition, he added, “You will know the truth and the truth shall set you free.”
Although soot is not classified as a greenhouse gas and does not directly contribute to global warming, it is still a byproduct of the same fossil fuel combustion that releases carbon dioxide and methane. This connection highlights the intertwined nature of air pollution and climate change. “It’s the same combustion process of the same fuels that produce both the greenhouse gas pollution and the particulate pollution that kills almost 9 million people every single year,” Gore explained in a recent video interview.
He gave a stark example from a visit to “Cancer Alley,” a heavily industrialized 65-mile corridor between Baton Rouge and New Orleans where much of the U.S. petrochemical industry is concentrated. Using Climate TRACE data, his team analyzed the emissions in this region. Gore noted that if Cancer Alley were considered its own country, it would rank fourth in the world for per capita emissions of global warming pollutants, trailing only Turkmenistan.
The data collected also reveals which global cities have the highest exposure to soot pollution. According to Gore’s coalition, Karachi in Pakistan currently tops the list, followed by Guangzhou in China, Seoul in South Korea, New York City in the United States and Dhaka in Bangladesh. These cities represent major population centers where millions of residents face heightened risks of health problems linked to air quality, ranging from respiratory illness to cardiovascular disease.
The long-term vision of the project is not only to inform people about pollution but also to drive accountability. By showing where emissions are coming from and which companies or facilities are responsible, the system creates new opportunities for citizens, policymakers and activists to push for change. Publicly accessible data can help pressure industries to reduce harmful emissions, while also guiding governments in developing stronger environmental policies.
This expansion builds on the original mission of Climate TRACE, which was launched to increase transparency around greenhouse gas emissions. Traditional reporting methods often rely on self-reported data from industries and governments, which can be delayed or incomplete. By contrast, satellite-based monitoring combined with artificial intelligence provides independent and near real-time information, making it harder for major polluters to hide or underreport their emissions.
The health stakes are high. Tiny particle pollution, or soot, is one of the most dangerous forms of air pollution because the microscopic particles can penetrate deep into the lungs and even enter the bloodstream. Studies link long-term exposure to increased risks of asthma, lung cancer, heart disease and premature death. In areas with heavy industrial activity, residents often face disproportionate impacts, creating environmental justice concerns as well.
Gore and his coalition believe that putting this kind of detailed and accessible information into the public’s hands is an essential step toward addressing both air pollution and climate change. While particle pollution itself does not heat the planet, its sources overlap almost entirely with the fossil fuel combustion driving the climate crisis. By monitoring both greenhouse gases and soot, Climate TRACE aims to tackle two of the world’s most pressing environmental threats at once.
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