Methodology of Urban Transport Carbon Emission Calculation Applicable for China: Guangzhou as a Case Study

Abstract

The calculation methodology of urban transport carbon emissions, based on the methodology recommended by Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is proposed. By using the methodology, the carbon emissions of highway transport (including passenger and freight), waterway transport (including passenger, freight, inland and costal port) and urban passenger transport (including city bus, taxi, urban railway and passenger ferry) from 2005 to 2011 of Guangzhou City are calculated and evaluated. And the developing trends and main features from the perspectives of the total amount of transport carbon emissions, the structural proportion of various transport modes, and the carbon dioxide intensity, are systematically analyzed. Finally, some policy implications of low-carbon transport development are conclusively put forward, including reducing carbon intensity as the core focus, the highway transport as the breakthrough point, optimizing the integrated transport system structure and developing public transport as priority strategy, developing clean and low-carbon energy as an important way, etc. The research methodology and results can provide references for decision-making and management of the relevant cities.