Inspiration Carbon emissions are usually presented as numbers, charts, or dense reports. Because of this, the issue often feels distant and difficult to visualize. We wanted to make climate data something people could actually see happening in real time. The idea of an interactive 3D Earth felt like the perfect way to show how connected our planet is and how human activity affects it everywhere.
What it does GCo2 is a real-time global carbon emissions viewer. It shows emission hotspots as glowing points on a 3D Earth that users can rotate, zoom, and explore. The platform also supports optional emission forecasting, allowing users to see how emissions may change in the near future.
How we built it We used Three.js and WebGL to render the interactive 3D Earth. We pulled real-time emission and air quality data from APIs like OpenAQ and Electricity Maps. For prediction mode, we used Dedalus Labs’ model to generate emission trend forecasts. We converted latitude and longitude data into 3D coordinates so each emission point could be placed accurately on the globe.
Challenges we ran into At first, the Earth texture looked stretched until we switched to proper equirectangular map projections. Points initially did not stay in the correct position while the globe rotated, so we recalculated their coordinates during each frame render. Some regions had missing or inconsistent data, which required caching and fallback systems. Large numbers of emission points caused performance lag, so we optimized rendering using GPU-based particle effects.
Accomplishments that we're proud of We are proud of building a smooth and visually engaging interactive globe that makes climate data easy to understand. We also successfully combined real-time data streaming with modern web visualization techniques. Most importantly, we created a tool that can be useful to students, researchers, policymakers, and anyone curious about climate change.
What we learned We learned how to convert geospatial data into real-time 3D visualizations, how to optimize performance in WebGL, and how to handle and harmonize multiple live data sources. We also learned how important visual design is when communicating something as complex as climate change.
What’s next for GCo2: Global Carbon Emissions We want to add a timeline slider to see how emissions have changed historically. We plan to integrate climate vulnerability and population exposure overlays to show who is most affected. We also want to create a guided educational mode and possibly a mobile and AR version. Our long-term vision is to build a climate awareness platform that is accessible to everyone.
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