AI system invented by Al Gore tracks deadly soot pollution in 2,500 cities

Former Vice President Al Gore has expanded his Climate TRACE system to track deadly soot pollution using satellite technology and artificial intelligence, enabling neighborhood-level monitoring of particle pollution sources across 2,500 cities worldwide. The system can identify 137,095 pollution sources and track their emissions in real-time, potentially saving millions of lives by empowering communities with precise data about local air quality threats.

How it works: Gore’s coalition deploys an extensive network of 300 satellites, 30,000 ground sensors, and AI algorithms to monitor particle pollution with unprecedented precision.

• The system tracks 137,095 sources of particle pollution globally, with 3,937 classified as “super emitters” based on their emission levels.
• Users can examine long-term pollution trends, and Gore expects daily updates to become available within a year for integration into weather apps alongside allergy reports.
• The platform not only identifies pollution but also reveals the specific sources responsible for emissions in each area.

Why this matters: Particle pollution kills millions of people worldwide annually, including tens of thousands in the United States, making precise tracking crucial for public health protection.

• Unlike methane, soot pollution doesn’t contribute to global warming but originates from the same fossil fuel combustion processes that produce greenhouse gases.
• The technology gives communities unprecedented transparency about local pollution sources, potentially enabling more targeted health protection and policy responses.

What they found: Gore’s analysis revealed surprising pollution hotspots and provided stark examples of environmental health disparities.

• Karachi, Pakistan has the highest number of people exposed to soot pollution, followed by Guangzhou, China, Seoul, South Korea, New York City, and Dhaka, Bangladesh.
• Cancer Alley, the 65-mile stretch between Baton Rouge and New Orleans where the U.S. petrochemical industry is concentrated, would rank fourth globally in per capita greenhouse gas emissions if it were a nation, behind only Turkmenistan.

What they’re saying: Gore emphasized how AI technology finally enables precise pollution source identification at the community level.

• “It’s difficult, before AI, for people to really see precisely where this conventional air pollution is coming from,” Gore said. “When it’s over in 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.”
• “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 during a video interview.