Carbon metrics for cities: production and consumption implications for policies

Problem: Basing local climate action plans on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions inventories has become standard practice for communities that want to address the problem of climate change. Communities use GHG emissions inventories to develop policy despite the fact that there has been little theoretical work on the implications of the assumptions embedded within them. Purpose: We identify elements and assumptions in emissions inventories that have important policy implications for climate action plan formulation, aiming to help planners make informed, defensible choices, and to refine future GHG emissions inventory protocols and climate action planning methods. Methods: We conducted a content analysis of 30 city climate action plans selected as a stratified random sample. We collected data on 70 different factors and used summary and trend statements, typologies, and descriptive statistics to link our findings to our research questions. Results and conclusions: Climate action plans obviously vary in many details, but most contain all of the core GHG emissions elements suggested in common protocols. We found GHG emissions inventories to be technically accurate but found their reduction targets to fall short of international targets. We also found exogenous change and uncertainty to be unaccounted for in emissions forecasts and reduction targets. The plans generally do a poor job of linking mitigation actions to reduction targets. Takeaway for practice: GHG emissions inventories supporting climate action planning are reasonably standardized, but documentation of data and assumptions should be improved and GHG reduction targets should be justified. The effect of future changes that are beyond the direct control of the community plan should be accounted for in GHG emissions forecasts and reduction targets. Rapid anticipated population growth should be acknowledged and taken into account, both in GHG emissions forecasts and in setting reduction targets. Effects of mitigation may be difficult to predict reliably, yet can be partly offset by effective monitoring that evaluates progress and changes course when necessary. Research support: None.

Net-zero emissions chemical industry in a world of limited resources

Greenhouse gas (GHG) emission inventories, which currently inform abatement policy discussions, are developed mostly from national scale data. Nevertheless, although the policy debate tends to take place in global and national arenas, action to abate GHG emissions is inherently within the provenance of local institutions and communities. The purpose of this paper is to examine how much information is lost by not estimating GHG emissions data at scales finer than the whole US. Such information may be critical in bridging global and local policy. Differences in the composition of GHG emission sources based on GHG emission inventories at three nested spatial scales (national, state, local) for four study sites (in Kansas, North Carolina, Ohio and Pennsylvania) are analysed, drawing upon initial results of a large collaborative study known as the ‘Association of American Geographers‐Global Change in Local Places (GCLP)’ project. The concept of spatial sovereignty of emissions is developed to test the cross‐scale reliability of emission inventories. For the test year 1990, close agreement is found in the by‐gas composition of GHG emissions among national, state and local inventories. Spatial sovereignty in this case is maintained. However close agreement is not found in the by‐source composition of GHG emissions among national, state and local inventories. Spatial sovereignty in this case is not maintained. Regular compilation of state and local emissions source inventories may be necessary to track important spatial and temporal deviations from national trends.

Implementing city-level carbon accounting: A comparison between Madrid and London

Cities are responsible for 70% of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions on a global scale, and cities play an important role in reducing GHG emissions. It is essential for Kuala Lumpur to consider reducing the city's GHG emissions. The city's GHG emission inventory can track and monitor the effectiveness of the climate action plans that has been implemented. The aim of this study is to identify the performance level of GHG emissions in Kuala Lumpur between 2010 and 2019. It is also to identify the performance of Kuala Lumpur's GHG emissions in 2019 in comparison to the global and Malaysian level. Data is calculated using the Global Protocol for Community-Scale Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventory (GPC), which is recognised and utilised globally. Secondary data for the years 2010 and 2019 was analysed as well as the performance of the Kuala Lumpur GHG emission profile in 2019. With three (3) identified sources of emissions, Kuala Lumpur managed to reduce its GHG emission intensity from 2010 by 74.07% in 2019. The city's GHG emission was recorded at 15,675 ktCO2eq in 2019. The stationary energy sector contributes higher GHG emission than other sector, with 12,043 ktCO2eq (76.83%), followed by the transportation sector with 3,180 ktCO2eq (20.29%) and the waste sector with 452 ktCO2eq (2.88%). As of 2019, Kuala Lumpur's absolute carbon contribution to the global average is 0.03%, whereas Malaysia's absolute carbon contribution is 4.74%. Additionally, the city contributes just 0.07 kgCO2eq/RM (30.17%) to Malaysia's total GHG emission intensity.

GHG (Greenhouse Gases) emission inventory and mitigation measures for public district heating plants in the Republic of Serbia

This paper compares the Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emission inventories of Madrid and Salvador and discusses some implications for future researches, focusing on city-level carbon accounting (CLCA) of emissions from urban supply chains (USC) and final consumers. To carry out this study, secondary data were collected from official documents of municipal governments of these two cities. According to the results, there are differences in stationary energy GHG emissions due to the big distinction concerning electricity emission factors used by each city. Air transportation GHG emissions are also very different. These two cities share some common figures regarding road transportation and per capita waste sector GHG emissions. In the conclusion section, we discuss opportunities for improvement of the cities’ GHG emission inventories as well as some implications for policy-making and future researches on carbon accounting, with focus on an integrated production-consumption system.

The Earth's surface temperature is steadily increasing due to the accumulation of greenhouse gases, a phenomenon known as global warming. Human activities are the root cause of this significant global issue. Reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions is one of the most critical actions in climate change mitigation. Organizations can engage in activities that promote change and reduce greenhouse gases by acknowledging the significance of addressing climate change. By reducing GHG emissions and promoting the use of renewable energy, organizations can begin to address environmental issues. Therefore, the purpose of this investigation is to assess the reduction of GHG emissions in an educational institution by substituting electricity consumption from the electrical grid with renewable energy in the form of a solar PV rooftop on-grid system. The School of Renewable Energy's GHG emissions were assessed, covering three scopes of GHG emissions activities: direct emissions, indirect emissions, and other indirect emissions. The organization's activity data were collected over a 12-month period. Without installing a solar panel system, the organization reported total GHG emissions of 310.40 tCO2e, relying solely on imported electricity for internal use. The highest GHG emissions were from Scope 2, amounting to 239.38 tCO2e, primarily due to electricity importation. Scope 3 had the second highest GHG emissions, totaling 65.76 tCO2e, resulting from employee commuting and the use of purchased goods such as paper and tap water. Scope 1 had the lowest GHG emissions at 5.26 tCO2e, produced by the combustion of diesel and gasoline in both stationary and mobile sources, as well as CH4 emissions from the septic tank. The percentage of GHG emissions from Scope 2 activities was 77.12%, which was considered to have a significant environmental impact and contribute to global warming. This was because 478,851 kWh of electricity were imported. The installation of on-grid solar cells for power generation reduced imported electricity to 113,120 kWh. Consequently, GHG emissions from Scope 2 decreased to 56.55 tCO2e, leading to an overall reduction in the organization's GHG emissions to 127.57 tCO2e. The organization's GHG emissions decreased by 182.83 tCO2e as a result of using alternative energy to generate electricity. This assessment can serve as a database for educational institutions and prepare the government to report greenhouse gas emissions. Furthermore, it can serve as carbon credits for trading and exchanging carbon with other organizations to offset GHG emissions from various activities. In addition, it endorses the government's goal of achieving carbon neutrality and net zero emissions in the future.

Navigating Sustainability through Greenhouse Gas Emission Inventory: ESG Practices and Energy Shift in Bangladesh’s Textile and Readymade Garment Industries

Optimizing carbon and nitrogen cycles towards net-zero greenhouse gas emissions in agrifood systems: a case study in Quzhou, China.

Delaware’s (DE) Climate Action Plan lays out a pathway to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by at least 26% by 2025 but does not consider soil-based GHG emissions from land conversions. Consequently, DE’s climate action plan fails to account for the contribution of emissions from ongoing land development economic activity to climate change. Source attribution (SA) is a special field within the science of climate change attribution, which can generate “documentary evidence” (e.g., GHG emissions inventory, etc.). The combination of remote sensing and soil information data analysis can identify the source attribution of GHG emissions from land conversions for DE. Traditional attribution science starts with climate impacts, which are then linked to source attribution of GHG emissions. The most urgent need is not only to detect climate change impacts, but also to detect and attribute sources of climate change impacts. This study used a different approach that quantified past soil GHG emissions which are then available to support impact attribution. Study results provide accurate and quantitative spatio-temporal source attribution for likely GHG emissions, which can be included in the DE’s climate action plan. Including the impact of land conversion on GHG emissions is critical to mitigating climate impacts, because without a more complete source attribution it is not possible to meet overall emission reduction goals. Furthermore, the increased climate change impacts from land conversions are in a feedback loop where climate change can increase the rates of GHG emissions as part of these conversions. This study provides a spatially explicit methodology that could be applied to attribute past, future, or potential GHG emission impacts from land conversions that can be included in DE’s GHGs inventory and climate impact assessment.

Recent emphasis on actions to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions has pushed many state departments of transportation (DOTs) to develop carbon accounting practices compatible with their current standard data collection and storage guidelines. Once accurate and reliable accounting of GHG emissions is established, strategies can be formed that could help mitigate the adverse environmental impacts of materials used by state DOTs. To date, the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) has not conducted comprehensive research on the embodied carbon within its construction material usage (i.e., upstream Scope 3 emissions inventory of procured materials) with most previous carbon accounting practices being focused on Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions (i.e., the carbon footprint of direct and indirect energy usage). This paper summarizes the results of a life cycle assessment on the agency-wide material procurements and construction operations that emit GHGs at WSDOT as a case study. This study uses several data sources from WSDOT in conjunction with publicly available life cycle emissions factor data to estimate GHG emissions attributed to the materials used to build and maintain roadways under WSDOT’s jurisdiction. Results indicate that upstream Scope 3 emissions for WSDOT as an agency is a significant contributor to its overall GHG emissions inventory. Specifically, between 2017 and 2022, this paper estimates an average annual upstream Scope 3 emissions of 310,000 metric tons of CO2 equivalents, which translates to 56% of the total annual GHG emissions including Scope 1 and 2 emissions.

GHG action zone identification at the local level: Emissions inventory and spatial distribution as methodologies for policies and plans

BR Cluster facilities have historically recorded peak total greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of ~1.1 million tons CO2e in 2019. A higher power consumption and large routine flaring are the biggest contributors in GHG emissions. This paper describes an effective integrated pathways undertaken through decarbonization roadmap, Flaring Abatement Initiatives and Energy Efficiency Initiatives to reduce the GHG emission footprints. These initiatives and roadmap contribute towards a greener hydrocarbon industry and helps in combating climate change. BR cluster has identified an innovative pathway to achieve 50% emission reduction by 2030 and Net Zero Emissions by 2050 by utilizing numbers of technologies and initiatives to reduce GHG emissions. Wide ranging initiatives are identified and deployed with help of new technologies includes flare reduction, flare gas recovery for power generation, facilities and Water Reservoir Management (WRM) energy efficiency improvements, novel solution for water treatment and nature-based solutions for carbon abatement. A novel solution for flare Gas reduction is achieved with help of new technologies (flare gas recovery for power generation, and upgrade of control) to recover routine flaring volumes and phased out Fuel gas consumption. As a result of the deployed technologies and initiatives, BR facilities recently achieved ∼64% reduction in flaring and overall ∼42% drop in GHG emissions. This significant reduction achieved by divert the flare gas from Early Development Field projects to power generation for field operations. From 2030 onwards, all routine flaring will be eliminated as gas is used for power generation. Several initiatives were implemented across the cluster to improve surface and subsurface equipment reliability/energy efficiency, includes export pump trimming, control valve modification, stop recycling, solar ESP, Electrical Submersible Progressing Cavity Pump Permanent Magnetic Motor (ESPCP PMM) and conversion gas lift to ESP. These implemented initiatives have contributed to GHG emission reduction by 642 ktCO2e. A novel solution for water treatment and disposal was executed in R field to utilize and phase-out the disposed water produced from Rima station to utilizing the water for agriculture and wildlife protection and saves the environment from GHG emissions associated to Deep water Disposal (DWD) power consumption. The reduction achieved in power consumption is 5.1 MW, with a reduction in GHG emissions of more than 86 ktCO2e. In line with the decarbonization pathway, total GHG emission is predicted to further reduce and reach 423 ktCO2e (60% lower) by 2030 and 200 ktCO2e (82% lower) by 2044. This paper shows Innovative pathways to decarbonization by implementing advance emission reduction Technologies that’s help to achieve cluster emission goals for energy efficiency and emissions reduction. BR cluster decarbonization pathway, learnings and approach could be replicated elsewhere in the Hydrocarbon industry thereby contributing to a cleaner energy for the planet.

Urbanisation is growing rapidly with global population and economic growth. Significant action is required to find possible solutions to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from new physical structures and supporting infrastructure, such as transport, water and energy networks, enabling urban planners and engineers to decarbonise the built environment to achieve a net zero emission (NZE) target by 2050. Life cycle assessment (LCA) plays a pivotal role in decarbonising the built environment as it helps identify materials, construction processes, design, and end use energy technologies significantly increasing the carbon footprint of the built environment and extending the influence of urban heat island (UHI) impacts. This paper will present a comprehensive LCA framework to calculate the GHG emissions associated with a modern central business district (CBD), including trade, commerce, and service industries, to help identify the hotspots contributing significantly to GHG emissions in a city and the possible decarbonising pathways to encourage NZE development. This framework could then be used to assess the potential for emissions management in city development and urban planning. The system boundary of the LCA will consider all stages from raw materials procurement up to the delivery of the aforementioned services. All the main urban infrastructure systems, including the transportation system, construction, energy and water supply networks and waste management systems, will be considered in the life cycle assessment process. Traffic congestion, population mobility, the urban heat island effect and landscape issues will be considered as these are also factors accelerating the increase of GHG emissions. In using this suggested LCA framework, we can then develop the green engineering solutions required to help the urban planning process develop a potential decarbonisation roadmap towards NZE targets for our cities.