Former U.S. Vice President Al Gore has unveiled a new tool from his nonprofit Climate TRACE that uses artificial intelligence to monitor fine particulate pollution from more than 660 million sources worldwide.
This is an attempt to track polluters at scale, and the early results are already exposing who is poisoning our air.
Built by a global coalition of over 100 universities, scientists, and AI experts, Climate TRACE uses satellites and remote sensing to spot emissions activity from nearly every corner of the planet. As Gore put it, “The very idea of tracking 662 million sites around the world, I mean without AI, people couldn’t have imagined doing something like that.”
Why does this matter right now? Because the pollution in question is already harming people, and most of us never see it coming.
The hidden health crisis
Scientists are only now grasping the full health toll of fine particulate pollution. Research shows that exposure to PM2.5 particles raises the risk of low birth weight, kidney disease, Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, dementia, type 2 diabetes, and more. Even at so-called legal levels, PM2.5 causes tens of thousands of excess deaths in the U.S. each year. Think about that the next time a hazy skyline makes your throat scratch.
Climate TRACE’s system monitors 137,095 pollution sources, including nearly 4,000 classified as “super emitters.” Much of the foundational research into PM2.5 health impacts was pioneered by Joel Schwartz, the same scientist whose work decades ago helped lead to the ban on leaded gasoline. Gore hopes a clearer view of fossil fuels and health will spark broad action again.
Climate TRACE data from earlier this year showed emissions in the first half of 2025 were 0.13% higher than in the first half of 2024, with rising greenhouse gas pollution from fossil fuels, particularly in the US, playing a major role.
Oil and gas
Data from 10 months ago shows that emissions from oil and gas production and transport are three times higher than reported and not yet reflected in official inventories. The gap persists because more than 100 countries do not have emissions inventories at all, and many that do rely on outdated, self reported numbers.
The system gives the public access to raw data on major polluters and to maps that show where PM2.5 drifts near large cities. Gore said these plume visualizations will expand worldwide. That kind of visibility makes powerful industries very uncomfortable.
Companies cannot hide behind vague estimates or cherry-picked data anymore. Real time satellite monitoring means every smokestack, every flare, every leak is tracked, and AI measures it with precision.
What this means for your daily life
This is not just corporate accountability, it is about your health and your family. The platform lets people see how pollution from specific sources reaches their communities.
You can pinpoint which facilities affect your neighborhood and how those plumes move through your streets. No more guessing why asthma rates spike in one zip code and not the next.
With real time, hyperlocal pollution data, people can potentially challenge permits, demand cleanup, and push for policy changes with science on their side. No more vague promises or soothing press releases. The satellites do not blink, and the AI does not have a stake in the outcome.
