× State of the Art
23 June 2026
LAST WEEK RECAP  |  THE BRIEF

A next-gen digital presence that’s impossible to ignore

Climate TRACE brings together a phenomenal coalition, team, data and tools, around the mission to make more meaningful climate action faster and easier for everyone.

But it has an urgency to do more. To reach more people; To evoke more moments of “ah-ha!”; To inspire action; To give governments, policy makers, industry, press and individuals not just the data, but the kind of deep comprehension that creates belief and the impetus to act.

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LAST WEEK RECAP  |  DISCUSSION THEMES

Accessible for everyone.

Climate TRACE data deserves to be accessible by everyone. From data scientists to curious dads. Grassroots or expert, you shouldn’t need a head for Excel or a “data brain” – but if you have one, that’s great too.

LAST WEEK RECAP  |  DISCUSSION THEMES

Discoverable.

Audiences shouldn’t have to know Climate TRACE to discover the rich data and ideas. By making the data discoverable in the spaces they’re already in, and usable in tools they already use, it can become more cited and timely, and support greater and more innovative use.

LAST WEEK RECAP  |  DISCUSSION THEMES

Meaningful.

Connecting Climate TRACE data and tools to people's lives, so they see more obvious and immediate relevance to their lives and those of their community. Increasing the individual and collective urgency for action or behavior change.

LAST WEEK RECAP  |  DISCUSSION THEMES

Inspirational.

A story-first layer that sits on top of the Climate TRACE data. Climate TRACE doesn’t tell anyone what to do, but it showcases and celebrates action – so more people are inspired and empowered with ideas to effect change.

Today – 9 ideas

Thought-starters. Not answers.

We'd love feedback, and to discuss your learnings so far, so that we can get closer to which ideas are most plausible and exciting for you and move quickly to a proposal.

Reduce 2.0
01Reduce 2.0
TRAICE
02TRAICE
Pocket Plume
03Pocket Plume
Data Stories
04Data Stories
My Location
05My Location
GEO
06GEO
MCP
07MCP
Data Identity
08Data Identity
Inspire Action
09Inspire Action
THEME 1  |  ACCESSIBLE BY EVERYONE

Some of the most important content and tools are tricky to use and understand.

climatetrace.org/reduce – the current Emissions Reduction Roadmap
THOUGHT STARTER 1

What if we re-imagined the emissions-reduction experience so that anyone, not just an analyst, could easily see and understand what could cut emissions. The world talks about climate change in terms of time horizons and temperature reductions – let’s use that dimension to visualize the data and make it easier to orient.

Reduce 2.0
THEME 1  |  ACCESSIBLE BY EVERYONE

Today, getting to the data you need requires prior knowledge or persistence.

No site-wide search, broad navigation and involved tools with downloads.

climatetrace.org – current homepage and navigation
THOUGHT STARTER 2

TRAICE

What if we had a conversational interface over the data so that you could use natural language to find the answer you need. Ask a question, get linked answers from the Climate TRACE structured data that are ready to download. And eventually, cited answers based on the growing library of content.

TRAICE
THEME 2  |  MEANINGFUL

Pollution Plumes is one of the most personally relevant data sets. Its impact could multiply if it were easy to see every day.

Current Climate TRACE plumes view
THOUGHT STARTER 3

Pocket Plume

What if we put the Plume data in everyone's pocket. On average, people check their weather app 3–15 times a day. What if Climate TRACE data became a daily interaction? Could it influence route choices, house moves, or local decision-making?

Pocket Plume
THEME 2  |  MEANINGFUL

The story is sometimes lost in the data. When it's this important, it should be surfaced, memorable, and relatable.

Climate TRACE data – Baton Rouge
THOUGHT STARTER 4

Data Stories

What if we used the data to shine a light on the stories. Maintaining the neutral position but elevating the numbers to narratives that can be remembered and retold. It's not about replacing data, it's creating the most meaningful layer that people can understand, share and act on.

Data Stories
THEME 2  |  MEANINGFUL

The global view matters enormously. To many, a local view matters even more.

Climate TRACE homepage
THOUGHT STARTER 5

My Location

What if we amplified the meaning and relevance of the data by slicing horizontally through the data to show a holistic view by location. Great for local governments and for individuals, this would remove the data silos, to bring together emissions, plumes, reduction and (perhaps) health data in the future. For even more relevant effect. Also great for Google search.

My Location
THEME  |  DISCOVERABLE

In the new world, to be in the conversation, and an authority, agents will need access to your data too.

Google AI overview
THOUGHT STARTER 6

GEO

What if we generated hundreds of structured pages so that assistants (ChatGPT / Claude) cite Climate TRACE when people ask the questions that matter to them – e.g. "What are the top polluting emitters in the New Orleans area?". So that when a question is asked, be it global, local or by sector, Climate TRACE shows up. (Also supports traditional SEO.)

GEO
THOUGHT STARTER 7

MCP

What if we empowered people who need to use your data to work with it in the tools they choose (Claude, ChatGPT etc.). By creating a connector, we empower them with everything they need without asking them to change how or where they want to work.

MCP
THEME  |  DISCOVERABLE

Your data is amazing. It has the power and remit to travel far and be cited often. It needs a stronger visual ID to build visual equity.

Climate TRACE data visualization
THOUGHT STARTER 8

Data Identity

We should develop a data visualization style that is ownable, identifiable and distinctive so that when it travels beyond your property, it is recognizable and trusted even without your logo.

Data Identity example
THEME  |  INSPIRATIONAL

Climate TRACE is the wire service, not the op-ed. You make the data speak, not put words in its mouth. But you do want to inspire action. Urgently.

Climate TRACE news
THOUGHT STARTER 9

Inspire Action

What if we showcased what others are doing and have done, highlighting specific steps and actions that can be replicated, and packaging ideas so they are shareable.

Inspire Action

9 early ideas. Permission to be wrong.

Reduce 2.0
01Reduce 2.0
TRAICE
02TRAICE
Pocket Plume
03Pocket Plume
Data Stories
04Data Stories
My Location
05My Location
GEO
06GEO
MCP
07MCP
Data Identity
08Data Identity
Inspire Action
09Inspire Action

Thank you.