Climate Change Tracker

Inspiration

The inspiration for this project came from the growing need to make climate data more accessible to everyone. With climate change impacting ecosystems, weather patterns, and daily life, we wanted to create a simple, real-time tracker that allows users to see the current temperature for their exact location. The idea was to build something lightweight, informative, and easy to use—so that anyone, regardless of their technical background, could stay informed.

What It Does

Climate Change Tracker is a web-based tool that provides real-time temperature updates based on the user’s location. When someone visits the site, it:

Requests permission to access their location.
Fetches real-time temperature data from the Open-Meteo API.
Displays the current temperature in a clean and simple interface.
Uses static values for CO₂ levels and Arctic ice melt, with plans to integrate real-time APIs for these metrics in the future.

How We Built It

Frontend: The interface was created using HTML and CSS for a clean, responsive design.
JavaScript for API Integration: JavaScript is used to fetch and display live temperature data from Open-Meteo.
Geolocation API: The browser’s Geolocation API allows us to detect the user’s location and get accurate climate data.
Deployment: The project is hosted on Netlify, making it accessible from anywhere.

Challenges We Ran Into

Finding the Right API: Many climate data APIs required authentication or had strict limitations. We had to find a reliable, free API that provided real-time weather updates.
Handling Location Permissions: Some users deny location access, so we needed to create a default fallback location to still display data.
Limited CO₂ & Ice Melt Data: Unlike temperature, real-time CO₂ levels and Arctic ice melt data are harder to find in free, public APIs.

Accomplishments That We're Proud Of

Successfully integrating real-time data into a simple, user-friendly web app.
Using geolocation to make the experience personalized for every user.
Hosting and deploying the project so it can be accessed globally.
Making an easy-to-understand and visually appealing website with minimal resources.

What We Learned

How to work with real-time APIs and fetch data dynamically.
The importance of handling user permissions when using geolocation.
How to deploy a simple web project using Netlify.
The need for more open and free APIs for climate data beyond temperature.

What's Next for Climate Change Tracker

Adding a CO₂ Monitoring API: To track real-time carbon emissions and pollution levels.
Historical Data Visualization: Showing past temperature trends for better insights.
More Climate Metrics: Integrating APIs for air quality, sea levels, and extreme weather events.
Improved UI & Visuals: Adding interactive charts and a more engaging user experience.

This project is just a starting point, and we’re excited to improve it further with better data and features!