Al Gore’s New system Pinpoints Global Hotspots of Deadly Soot Pollution
WASHINGTON – A new satellite and artificial intelligence system is now tracking sources of soot pollution worldwide, revealing the extent to which industrial activity contributes to millions of premature deaths annually. Former Vice President Al Gore unveiled the findings Monday, highlighting the link between greenhouse gas emissions and particulate matter – a hazardous byproduct of combustion that kills an estimated 9 million people each year.
The initiative, utilizing data from climate TRACE, aims to provide a clearer picture of pollution sources and hold emitters accountable. This comes as global health organizations increasingly recognize air pollution as a major public health crisis, particularly impacting vulnerable populations in rapidly industrializing nations and urban centers. The data offers a pathway to targeted interventions and policy changes aimed at reducing both climate change and preventable deaths.
Gore emphasized the interconnectedness of climate and air pollution, stating, “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.” He cited “Cancer Alley,” a 65-mile stretch between Baton Rouge and new Orleans, as a stark example. Analysis revealed that if this region were a country, its per capita global warming pollution emissions woudl rank fourth in the world, behind only Turkmenistan.
The system’s initial findings identified Karachi, Pakistan, as the city with the highest number of people exposed to soot pollution, followed by Guangzhou, China, Seoul, South Korea, New York City, and Dhaka, Bangladesh. These locations represent a diverse range of economic and regulatory environments, underscoring the global nature of the problem.
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