The plumes tool developed by Amy Gottsegen and Randy Sargent at Carnegie Mellon University's CREATE Lab, in partnership with Climate TRACE, tracks the movement of harmful particulate matter (PM2.5) in the air to help communities understand and address the impact of air pollution on their health. By documenting pollution with maps and videos, community members in Pittsburgh were able to drive positive change, resulting in the shutdown of a facility and a decrease in pediatric asthma cases. The tool, which models pollution plumes based on various data sources, aims to connect global greenhouse gas emissions with local health impacts, empowering communities to advocate for change and drive meaningful action towards reducing pollution. The collaboration with Climate TRACE has enabled the creation of a tool that provides access to consistent global datasets, allowing users to visualize PM2.5 pollution coming out of local facilities and moving across cities.
Author: Climatetrace
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Landfill Covering and Methane Capture
Landfills are a significant source of methane emissions globally as waste decomposes, but they can be transformed into managed systems with gas-capture systems and biocovers to reduce emissions. Restoring vegetation can further enhance carbon uptake and ecosystem recovery. The success of the Jardim Gramacho landfill in Rio de Janeiro, which reduced methane emissions through gas-capture systems and mangrove restoration, demonstrates how legacy waste sites can be stabilized to curb emissions and provide ecological and community benefits. This solution involves covering landfills and capturing methane for combustion, effectively reducing emissions at the source.
https://climatetrace.org/news/landfill-covering-and-methane-capture
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Climate TRACE identifies potential solutions to reduce emissions at every major source of greenhouse gases in the world
Climate TRACE has released a new tool that provides facility-level data to help decision-makers develop decarbonization plans, focusing on mature, commercially available solutions as well as experimental options. The tool estimates emissions reduction potential and aims to provide a global view of opportunities to decarbonize, supporting efforts to mobilize climate finance to developing countries. Climate TRACE data enables users to find relevant solutions by geography, sector, and individual asset, with a lower Difficulty Score indicating a more efficient and cost-effective solution. The Climate TRACE coalition, supported by AI specialists, researchers, and NGOs, aims to advance actionable strategies for decarbonization.