The US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has developed a "carbon tracker" to monitor levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere which will identify where the locations of greatest emission and removal.
The NOAA says CarbonTracker maps distinctly the carbon-emitting areas and carbon forest sinks of North America.
"We hope this will evolve into a much denser network, so we can say meaningful things about whether states or large metropolitan areas are successful in limiting net emissions of CO2," said the NOAA’s Pieter Tans.
While only covering Canada and the US currently, there are plans to incorporate data from elsewhere around the world for a global carbon map that will help scientists predict the future path of global warming. Researchers are already working with counterparts in India and China to extend tracking to those countries. This would then see emissions tracking in three of the world’s largest emitter nations.
Reuters 22/3/07