Google has picked Melbourne as one of three cities worldwide to trial a new climate change monitoring tool that combines Google Earth data and emission levels, helping local governments develop plans to fight global warming.

The Environmental Insights Explorer overlays environmental data such as emission levels from buildings and different forms of transport, as well as the potential for solar rooftop installations, over major cities using Google Earth.

The tool tracks building emission levels and can be used by city planners for climate change policies. Credit:Google

It comes as countries like Australia try to reduce national emissions levels in line with the Paris Climate Change accord to stop temperatures rising by two degrees or more.

The tool was borne out of Google’s air quality monitoring program Air View, which used street mapping cars to measure air pollution, and Project Sunroof, which uses Google Earth imagery to analyse roofs and estimate homeowners' potential solar savings.