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Climate TRACE is a Game Changer in Emissions Monitoring
When Big Data and AI are used for good, the results are tremendous
Satellites are a critical climate monitoring technology
Satellites are easily the most underrated technology that aids our ability to address the climate crisis. Rightfully so, most of the focus in terms of technological innovation tends to be on climate solutions — EVs, solar panels, direct air capture, etc. But climate monitoring technology really deserves more attention than it gets. After all, we won’t really know how effective these solutions will ultimately be if we can’t accurately and reliably track the emissions of the technologies they hope to replace.
As you’re reading this sentence, satellites are monitoring ocean and land temperatures, sea level height, precipitation, land cover, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and so much more. Ever since TIROS 1, the first weather satellite to be launched into space in 1960, satellites have been rapidly improving in their ability to provide valuable data about the climate system. Satellites today provide near real-time continuous monitoring of this vastly complex system that was impossible to monitor on a global scale with sufficient spatial and temporal resolution using prior monitoring instruments.