Minderoo Foundation backs global effort to track harmful pollution from fossil fuel facilities with US$2.5 million pledge

12 Nov 2025 – Minderoo Foundation has committed US$2.5 million (A$3.8 million) to support Climate TRACE, an independent coalition tracking and publishing a global database of greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution from nearly every major source worldwide.

Dr Andrew Forrest AO announced Minderoo Foundation’s support aboard the Green Pioneer, the world’s first green ammonia dual-powered vessel, alongside Climate TRACE co-founders former US Vice President Al Gore and WattTime Executive Director, Gavin McCormick, during COP30 in Belém, Brazil.

Climate TRACE was launched to address a critical gap in global climate data, providing timely and comprehensive emissions tracking to replace the often incomplete, inaccurate or outdated self-reported data that companies and regions currently rely on.

“We can’t fix what we can’t see. For too long, emissions reporting has relied on guesswork and self-assessment. Climate TRACE makes emissions visible – and creates accountability,” said Dr Andrew Forrest AO.

“From Minderoo, we bring climate accountability and a human heart. From Fortescue, we bring proof that heavy industry can run without fossil fuels.

“Together, we’re showing that the age of outcomes has begun. Real Zero is not a dream – it’s happening now. It is the path forward.

“I am deeply grateful that Minderoo Foundation is enabling, for the first time, the global measurement of polluters whose actions directly or indirectly cause 8.7 million deaths each year.”

Drawing on a coalition of over 150 nonprofits, scientists, universities and research institutions, Climate TRACE produces independent, facility-level emissions estimates via satellite imagery, AI and remote sensing. It tracks pollution from more than 740 million emissions sources, including power plants, mines and refineries across every country and more than 9,000 urban areas globally.

The data is publicly available through interactive tools that map global greenhouse gases and visualise the flow of air pollution from fossil fuel facilities. This level of transparency helps provide a more accurate picture of global emissions and pinpoints the world’s biggest polluters.

Minderoo Foundation’s support will help expand Climate TRACE’s health impact map, which shows how air pollution from facilities – like particulate matter (PM2.5) – drifts over nearby homes, schools and hospitals. These pollutants are known to worsen or cause respiratory and cardiovascular conditions, and pose serious risks to young children, older adults, and people with pre-existing health issues.

Recent analysis by Climate TRACE found that 1.6 billion people in cities around the world live close enough to breathe in hazardous air pollution caused by fossil fuel facilities. A 2021 study estimated that exposure to fine particulate matter contributes to nearly 9 million premature deaths globally each year.

“Pollution from burning fossil fuels is a health issue as well as a climate issue,” said former US Vice President Al Gore. “Our data shows how fossil fuel facilities are putting more than a billion people at risk every day. With Minderoo’s support, we can track this pollution, make it impossible to ignore and build support for reducing it.”

This investment is part of how Minderoo Foundation supports partners working to accelerate the energy transition, reduce fossil-fuel dependence and address the impacts of climate change.

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