What it is
Climate TRACE is an independent, non-profit coalition that uses satellite imagery, remote sensing, and artificial intelligence to track greenhouse gas emissions from individual facilities worldwide. Covering over 352 million assets across 10 sectors, it provides facility-level emissions data that is independent of self-reporting. The data is freely available for anyone to access.
Why we picked this
Most emissions data relies on self-reporting by companies and governments, creating obvious conflicts of interest. Climate TRACE eliminates this by measuring emissions directly from space. Its 2023 release revealed that global emissions were 3x higher than officially reported at some facilities, fundamentally changing how investors and regulators assess climate risk.
Key takeaways
- Climate TRACE found that actual emissions from individual oil and gas facilities were often 2-3x higher than what companies self-reported to regulators.
- The platform tracks emissions from 352 million assets including power plants, steel mills, ships, and agricultural operations in near real-time.
- Data is free and open, used by the UN, World Bank, and major institutional investors for independent verification of corporate climate claims.