What it is
Climate TRACE is a coalition that publishes a global inventory of greenhouse-gas emissions built from satellites, other remote sensing, and machine learning, rather than from self-reported totals alone. Related public systems include GHGSat (commercial methane plumes) and Carbon Mapper (public-good methane and CO₂). The point is independent seeing, not a new furnace.
Problem it targets
Inventories disagree. Methane leaks from oil, gas, and coal are often higher than reported. You cannot manage what you refuse to measure.
How it works
Models learn the look of a power plant, a feedlot, or a flare and estimate activity and emission factors, then fuse that with atmospheric retrievals where they exist. Every number has uncertainty. A bright pixel is a clue, not a court verdict.
Status and players
Climate TRACE coalition (non-profits, companies, universities); GHGSat; Carbon Mapper (including NASA/JPL partnerships); IMEO (UNEP) methane science. National inventories remain the legal baseline.
Risks and limits
False plumes, political blowback, and treating a dashboard as enforcement. Satellites see some sectors better than others (a dairy lagoon ≠ a city of two-stroke bikes).
Sources
Climate TRACE methodology and inventory releases; GHGSat and Carbon Mapper public notes; UNEP IMEO methane reports.