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By Suzanne Potter
Oct 19, 2025
The pollution map of the greater Los Angeles Area shows high concentrations in the ports of L.A. and Long Beach, and in the warehouse districts of the Inland Empire. (Climate TRACE)
Los Angeles now has the dubious distinction of ranking eighth in the world for the production of greenhouse gas emissions.
It falls behind New York, Houston, Tokyo, Seoul, and three major cities in China. Climate TRACE uses satellites and artificial intelligence to map plumes of pollution coming from so-called “super emitters” like the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach.
Lekha Sridhar, senior policy analyst for the environmental nonprofit WattTime, who helped develop the tool, said people should realize climate and air pollution are the same fight.
“It’s the same types of sources that are causing both the issues, they are connected,” Sridhar explained. “Many of these health-harming pollutants are coming from facilities that are located in, or near, our cities.”
Overall, the U.S. is the second-largest emitter of carbon in the world, falling behind China. Data show the U.S. is not slowing down on emissions. Since last summer, carbon emissions in the U.S. went up by almost 8 million tons, a 1.3 % increase.
Sridhar pointed out the Climate TRACE website includes names of major polluters, so people can figure out who is responsible for pollution in their hometown.
“We’d really like for people to understand where the pollution is coming from around them, who these super emitters are,” Sridhar emphasized. “Then take action. It might be doing a campaign for clean air. It might be asking policymakers to do more regulations around air pollution sources.”
In July, global emissions totaled 5.2 billion tons of carbon dioxide, just under a half a percent increase compared to 2024.
Climate TRACE is a global nonprofit coalition led in part by former Vice President Al Gore. It includes more than a dozen member organizations and more than 100 contributing universities, scientists, and experts in AI.