Climate TRACE
Climate TRACE (Tracking Real-Time Atmospheric Carbon Emissions)[1] is an independent group which monitors and publishes greenhouse gas emissions within weeks.[2] It launched in 2021 before COP26,[3] and improves monitoring, reporting and verification (MRV) of both carbon dioxide and methane.[4][5]
Website | climatetrace |
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The group monitors sources such as coal mines and power station smokestacks worldwide,[6] with satellite data (but not their own satellites) and artificial intelligence.[7][8] Time magazine said it was one of the hundred best inventions of 2020.[9]
According to Kelly Sims Gallagher it could influence the politics of climate change by reducing MRV disputes, and lead to more ambitious climate pledges.[4]
Developed countries' annual reports to the UNFCCC are submitted over a year after the end of the monitored year.[10] Developing countries in the Paris Agreement will submit every two years.[11][12] Some large emitters, such as Iran which has not ratified the agreement, have not submitted a greenhouse gas inventory in the 2020s.[13]
Methods
Power plant emissions are tracked by training software with supervised learning to combine satellite imagery with other open data, such as government datasets, OpenStreetMap,[14] and company reports.[15] Similarly large ships will be tracked to better understand emissions from international shipping.[16]
Members
As of 2021 the coalition consists of:[17]
- Nonprofits: CarbonPlan, Earthrise Alliance, Hudson Carbon, OceanMind, Rocky Mountain Institute, TransitionZero, and WattTime
- Companies: Blue Sky Analytics and Hypervine
- Former U.S. Vice President Al Gore
See also
References
- Gore, Al (December 12, 2020). "Opinion | Al Gore: Where I Find Hope". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved July 10, 2021.
- "Climate TRACE to track real-time global carbon emissions". Yale Climate Connections. August 17, 2020. Retrieved July 10, 2021.
- Freedman, Andrew. "Al Gore's Climate TRACE tracking group finds vast undercounts of emissions". Axios. Retrieved 2021-09-27.
- Roberts, David (July 16, 2020). "The entire world's carbon emissions will finally be trackable in real time". Vox. Retrieved July 10, 2021.
- "Methane: A Threat to People and Planet". Rocky Mountain Institute. July 7, 2021. Retrieved July 10, 2021.
- "Transcript: The Path Forward: Al Gore on Climate and the Economy". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved July 10, 2021.
- Puko, Timothy (April 13, 2021). "John Kerry Says U.S. Will Hold China to Account on Climate Pledges". The Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved July 10, 2021.
- Peters, Adele (July 15, 2020). "This Al Gore-supported project uses AI to track the world's emissions in near real time". Fast Company. Retrieved July 15, 2021.
- "The 100 Best Inventions of 2020". Time. Retrieved July 10, 2021.
- "4. Reporting of Greenhouse Gas Inventories in the Enhanced Transparency Framework". United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. Archived from the original on 2019-11-12. Retrieved July 17, 2021.
- "Reporting and Review under the Paris Agreement". United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. Archived from the original on 2020-05-17. Retrieved April 20, 2020.
Parties under the Paris Agreement are required to submit their first biennial transparency report (BTR1) and national inventory report, if submitted as a stand-alone report, in accordance with the MPGs, at the latest by 31 December 2024
- Anna Schulz, Fernanda Alcobé. "Implementing the Paris Agreement: LDC gaps and needs in greenhouse gas inventory reporting". Publications Library. Archived from the original on 2021-05-28. Retrieved July 17, 2021.
Developing countries update their GHG inventories, mitigation actions, needs and support received within their BUR
- "Documents and decisions: Iran". United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. p. 2. Archived from the original on 2019-11-14. Retrieved July 17, 2021.
- "Organised Editing/Activities/Climate TRACE – OpenStreetMap Wiki". OpenStreetMap. Retrieved July 15, 2021.
- "Satellites – Watttime". Retrieved July 15, 2021.
- "Al Gore spearheads new initiative to track and publish every ship's carbon footprint". Splash247. July 17, 2020. Retrieved July 15, 2021.
- "Home". Climate Trace. Retrieved July 10, 2021.