Tracking Soot Pollution with AI and Satellites: Al Gore's Initiative

Mon Sep 29 2025 06:18:15 GMT+0300 (Eastern European Summer Time)

A new project spearheaded by Al Gore aims to monitor soot pollution in neighborhoods globally, leveraging AI and satellite technology to provide real-time data on air quality and pollution sources.

Al Gore has expanded his initiative Climate TRACE to track soot pollution using 300 satellites and 30,000 ground sensors, affecting 2,500 cities worldwide. The real-time data aims to empower residents by showing pollution sources and potential health impacts, addressing a critical environmental challenge.

NEW YORK (AP) — Soon, satellite technology and artificial intelligence will enable individuals to monitor harmful soot pollution in their neighborhoods, similar to tracking incoming storms. This initiative is led by a coalition spearheaded by former Vice President Al Gore.

Gore's organization, Climate TRACE, which previously monitored sources of heat-trapping methane using satellites, has broadened its efforts to include tracking the origins and plumes of soot pollution across 2,500 cities worldwide. Particle pollution is known to cause millions of deaths annually, including tens of thousands in the United States alone, as highlighted by numerous scientific studies.

The project utilizes 300 satellites and 30,000 ground-tracking sensors combined with artificial intelligence to identify 137,095 sources of particle pollution, with over 3,900 marked as super emitters. Users will soon be able to observe long-term pollution trends, with hopes that daily updates may be integrated into weather apps for community awareness.

Gore emphasized that this initiative is not just about detecting pollutants but also identifying the polluters. He stated, "Before AI, it was tough for people to see precisely where air pollution was coming from. When it’s over in their homes and neighborhoods, having that clarity empowers them with the truth."

While soot pollution does not technically cause climate change, it arises from the same fossil fuel combustion processes that produce greenhouse gases. Gore noted the alarming mortality rate associated with particulate pollution, which kills almost 9 million people every year. He provided insights from his recent visit to Cancer Alley, a region in the U.S. known for high levels of pollution from the petrochemical industry, suggesting its emissions would rank fourth in the world if it were a separate nation.

Main cities with the highest exposure to soot pollution, according to the initiative, include Karachi, Pakistan, Guangzhou, China, and Seoul, South Korea, alongside New York City and Dhaka, Bangladesh.

This innovative approach aims to empower residents worldwide by providing critical data to address air quality issues effectively.