How do greenhouse gas emissions compare in cities around. Greenhouse gas emissions from industry primarily involve fossil fuels burned on site at facilities for energy. Cities reducing their greenhouse gas emissions sciencedirect. Drivingrelated emissions for households living in locationefficient urban neighborhoods are half or less of what they are for households in the leastefficient, cardependent neighborhoods. A greenhouse gas sometimes abbreviated ghg is a gas that absorbs and emits radiant energy within the thermal infrared range. Upstream emissions as a percentage of overall lifecycle emissions. Failure to do so would, in all probability, mean that the desired reductions will not be achieved.
Apr 25, 2017 global warming changes weather patterns and leads to increased storm activity, melting ice caps, and rising sea levels which have negative consequences on ecosystems and biodiversity all over the world. Find all the books, read about the author, and more. Read the press release explore the data through our map app, flight see the data highlights translate abstract ghg measurements into concrete terms that are easy to understand. Study maps greenhouse gas emissions to building, street. Credibly and consistently reporting greenhouse gas ghg emissions from cities and urban areas enables policy makers and practitioners to contribute to addressing the challenge of climate change by meeting mitigation targets, and is critical to overall. This act applies to greenhouse gas emissions within the realm and to emissions from activities on the norwegian part of the continental shelf, subject to any restrictions deriving from international law. While carbon dioxide is emitted in the highest volume, methane and nitrous oxide are more potent in their relative warming potentials. A coalfired power station spews carbon dioxideladen smoke into the air.
Greenhouse gas emissions caused by urban households purchases of goods and services from beyond city limits are much bigger than previously. The majority of global greenhouse gas ghg emissions can be attributed to the production and consumption. The population figures used to calculate the figures come from the world banks own statistics while the. Tracking greenhouse gas emissions worldwide provides a global context for understanding the united states and other nations roles in climate change. Sep 22, 2014 global rise reported in 20 greenhouse gas emissions a mask guarded against shanghai haze last year. Explore 2015 ghg emissions from the largest sources and sectors. It is a relative scale that compares the gas in question to that of the same mass of carbon dioxide co 2 whose gwp is, by convention, equal to 1. Data on greenhouse gas emissions are usually estimated according to international methodologies on the basis of national statistics on energy, industrial and agricultural production, waste management and land use, etc. Show and tell greenhouse gas emissions from the uk this graphic, created by graphic artist christine oliver, explains why emissions are a global problem and which sectors contribute to the uks. Greenhouse gas emissions from global cities experts. May 18, 2012 at an official side event to the unfccc bonn climate change conference this week, c40 cities climate leadership group c40, iclei local governments for sustainability, the world resources institute wri, and partners released pilot version 1. Global emissions center for climate and energy solutions.
For several reasons cities are increasingly seen as critical actors in efforts to counteract global climate change bulkeley and betsill, 2003, kennedy et al. Co2 accounts for about 76 percent of total greenhouse gas emissions. Being an industrialized country, the us emits large quantities of these gases every year. Our study of ten global cities shows how a balance of geophysical factors climate, access to resources, and gateway status and technical. Carbon dioxide, methane, ozone, chlorofluorocarbons, water vapor, and nitrous oxide are added at alarming rates to the atmosphere by daily human activity. By including upstream emissions in our analysis, we show that ghg emissions attributable to cities exceed those reported in current city inventories. If you drive 20,000 miles a year just getting to and from workwhich, i might add, is not at all unusualthats 10 tons of ghg emissions annually. The worlds population is now over 50% urban, and cities make an important contribution to national greenhouse gas ghg emissions. Without greenhouse gases, the average temperature of earth. Greenhouse gas data and international climate policy wri, 2005. Global carbon emissions from fossil fuels have significantly increased since 1900. With the global urban population now exceeding 50 percent, the inhabitants of cities are recognized as a major driver of global greenhouse gas ghg emissions satterthwaite, 2008. Total greenhouse gas emissions kt of co2 equivalent european commission, joint research centre jrc netherlands environmental assessment agency pbl.
United nations statistics division environment statistics. In 1999, catastrophic storms hit honduras, china and east india, bringing severe devas tation to lives and national economies. A new global framework to measure greenhouse gas emissions. The highest attributed to one of the cities commonly cited as one of the worlds greats was sydney at 20. Among the 25 major emitters, per capita emissions vary widely, with australia, the united states and canada having the.
Home posts tagged greenhouse gas emissions climate change mitigation may boil down to individual food preferences and diets according to a new report by the eatlancet commission published earlier this month in the medical journal the lancet, food production is one of the leading drivers of global environmental issues such as climate change. Greenhouse gas emissions from global shipping, 202015. Annual greenhouse gas per household described by leading urban planners as a worldchanging view, 1 this map shows ghg emissions from household auto use. On november 4, 2016, the most recent international treaty to reduce global greenhouse gas ghg emissions went into force. Chinas economy was a factor in belowaverage global emissions growth.
As part of the carbon neutral cities alliance, boulder and 17 leading global cities have committed to reducing their emissions by 80% or more by 2050. Imo member states will need to understand recent trends in ship activity and emissions to. Residential emissions by wendell cox 04082009 in the quest to sufficiently reduce greenhouse gas ghg emissions, it is crucial to get the numbers right. While there are several factors that contribute to global warming, such as natural changes in the earths inclination and revolution around the sun, by far the biggest factor is the emission of greenhouse gases. A households transportationrelated ghg emissions could be far greater than the emissions coming from their housing, particularly if they live somewhere that requires a lot of driving. The goal of this book is to provide readers with an understanding of the various sources of these gases, their interaction with the atmosphere, their effect on natural systems, and why controlling them is critical. Global warming potential gwpis a measure of how much a given mass of greenhouse gas is estimated to contribute to global warming. Greenhouse gas emissions for the world and top 10 emitting countries and regions, 2005 and 2014. With relatively high consumption and a high intensity 792 t e co 2gwh, denver has ghg emissions that are almost a factor of 3 higher than the next city. Countries report their greenhouse gas emissions to unfccc according to the ipcc guidelines. Global rise reported in 20 greenhouse gas emissions.
Greenhouse gas emissions global business aspects see, michael on. Nov 07, 2017 greenhouse gas emissions caused by urban households purchases of goods and services from beyond city limits are much bigger than previously thought. Our study of 10 global cities shows how a balance of geophysical factors climate, access to resources and gateway status and technical factors power generation, urban design and waste. Present and future 98% of boulder s emissions come from burning fossil fuels to produce electricity, provide heat and power our transportation system. Global greenhouse gas emissions by sector, 19902010. Gases creating greenhouse pollution include water vapour, carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, hydrofluorocarbons, perfluorocarbons and sulfur hexafluoride. Mar 07, 20 sao paulos 10 million citizens generate 15,000 tons of garbage each day, and trash is one of the citys biggest greenhousegas challengesas opposed to other cities, which struggle more. Global warming changes weather patterns and leads to increased storm activity, melting ice caps, and rising sea levels which have negative consequences on ecosystems and biodiversity all over the world. Study maps greenhouse gas emissions to building, street level. Global rise reported in 20 greenhouse gas emissions a mask guarded against shanghai haze last year.
Keywords emission and power project financing emissions trading global warming greenhouse gas greenhouse gas emissions greenhouse gases kyoto protocol var valueatrisk climate change. Uk greenhouse gas emissions fall for seventh year in a row. In the last of the 20th century and the beginning of the 21st century, global climate. That is why it is so important that many of the worlds greatest cities are bucking the trend and showing that a low carbon world is possible. Greenhouse gas emissions from global cities environmental.
Since 1970, co 2 emissions have increased by about 90%, with emissions from fossil fuel combustion and industrial processes contributing about 78% of the total greenhouse gas emissions increase from 1970 to 2011. Gas emissions thousand metric tons global warming potential co 2 equivalent emissions thousand metric tons mmtce percent of total emissions 1. The primary greenhouse gases in earths atmosphere are water vapor h 2 o, carbon dioxide co 2, methane ch 4, nitrous oxide n 2 o, and ozone o 3. Here we ask how and why emissions differ between cities.
Greenhouse gases cause the greenhouse effect on planets. Only a handful of the countries with the largest total emissions also rank among those with the highest per capita emissions figure 4. Most of them also have large populations and economies, together accounting for over 50% of the global population and almost 60% of the worlds gdp. Methane, primarily from agriculture, contributes 16 percent of greenhouse gas emissions and nitrous oxide, mostly from industry and agriculture, contributes 6 percent to global emissions. Berlin, boston, greater toronto, london, new york city and seattle. World greenhouse gas emissions in 2005 tim herzog world greenhouse gas emissions in 2005 is a comprehensive view of global, anthropogenic greenhouse gas ghg emissions.
Greenhouse gases with the highest emissions volumes. Apr 25, 2017 greenhouse gases with the highest emissions volumes while carbon dioxide is emitted in the highest volume, methane and nitrous oxide are more potent in their relative warming potentials. Oct 01, 20 by including upstream emissions in our analysis, we show that ghg emissions attributable to cities exceed those reported in current city inventories. Here we show how and why emissions differ between cities. The gpc provides a robust framework for accounting and reporting citywide greenhouse gas. Electricity and heat production 25% of 2010 global greenhouse gas emissions. The worlds leading scientists have calculated that global greenhouse gas emissions need to peak by 2020 at the latest and then come down very steeply. Cities can cut greenhouse gas emissions far beyond their. Greenhouse pollution is caused by gaseous pollutants released into the atmosphere through human actions that amplify the greenhouse effect.
Accordingly, this chapter examines ghg emissions per capita. Of the 100 cities addressed, the highest greenhouse gas ghg emissions tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent tco2ecapita were attributed to rotterdam at 29. Moreover, as centers of wealth and creativity, with high population densities and economies of scale, cities must play a significant role in tackling global climate. How do greenhouse gas emissions compare in cities around the. The megacities carbon project will develop and test methods for monitoring the greenhouse gas emissions of the largest human contributors to climate change. Coronavirus could cause fall in global co2 emissions. Greenhouse gas emissions in federal buildings wbdg whole. Oct 09, 2012 cities have had little information with which to guide reductions in greenhouse gas emissions and you cant reduce what you cant measure, said kevin gurney, an associate professor in asus. Although the burning of fossil fuels generates most of the potential emissions from. The king may issue regulations containing further provisions on the geographical scope of the act, including its application in svalbard. The ghg emissions attributable to electricity consumption for the ten cities display a wide range figure 1. Heres at look at what their national climate plans mean for their emissions in 2025 and 2030. Greenhouse gas emissions from global cities african.
Global greenhouse gas emissions by gas, 19902010 this figure shows worldwide emissions of carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, and several fluorinated gases from 1990 to 2010. The burning of coal, natural gas, and oil for electricity and heat is the largest single source of global greenhouse gas emissions industry 21% of 2010 global greenhouse gas emissions. Cities are responsible for more than 70% of global anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions from buildings, transport, energy, industry, and wasterelated sources. Despite international shipping being excluded from the paris agreement, the international maritime organization imo is developing its own strategy to reduce ghgs from ships. Cities have had little information with which to guide reductions in greenhouse gas emissions and you cant reduce what you cant measure. The world is getting hotter as it experiences the extremes of global climate change. Emissions from seven of the ten cities fall within the narrow range of 2. Total greenhouse gas emissions kt of co2 equivalent data. Greenhouse gas emissions for the world and top 10 emitting countries and regions, 1 2005 and 2014. The world bank, in 2011, compiled numbers for 32 countries and for the per capita emissions pertaining to major cities within those countries. Greenhouse gas emissions inventory for kampala city and.
Many cities are developing strategies to reduce their emissions. About the ghg protocol for cities world resources institute, c40 cities climate leadership group and iclei local governments for sustainability iclei have partnered to create a ghg protocol standard for cities known as global protocol for communityscale greenhouse gas emission inventories gpc. Greenhouse gas emissions from global cities by kennedy. The g20 countries produce 80 percent of the worlds greenhouse gas emissions. Greenhouse gas emissions from global cities african centre. Frankel june 1999 growth targets for emissions of greenhouse gases ghg by developing countries should be part of the effort to mitigate global climate change. Reducing greenhouse gas ghg emissions is the key to avoiding the most catastrophic impacts of climate change. Emissions and sinks related to changes in land use are not included in these estimates. Emissions can linger in the atmosphere for centuries after being produced and trap more heat from the sun. The enhanced greenhouse effect is now widely accepted as the major cause of global climate change. At an official side event to the unfccc bonn climate change conference this week, c40 cities climate leadership group c40, iclei local governments for sustainability, the world resources institute wri, and partners released pilot version 1.
Greenhouse gas ghg emissions per capita are considered the citys carbon footprint. Emission database for global atmospheric research edgar, edgarv4. A small number of countries contribute the vast majority of greenhouse gas emissions, with the top 10 emitters accounting for over twothirds of annual global greenhouse gas emissions. Moreover, as centers of wealth and creativity, with high population densities and economies of scale, cities must play a significant role in tackling global climate change.
Greenhouse gas emissions from introduction global cities. Methodology for inventorying greenhouse gas emissions from. Global rise reported in 20 greenhouse gas emissions the. Global greenhouse gas emissions data greenhouse gas ghg. The study asks how well are cities doing in reducing their greenhouse gas emissions. The chart is an updated version of the original chart, which appeared in navigating the numbers. It can achieve this by command and control as well as flexible mechanisms at home and abroad, before the process of global warming becomes totally irreversible. The worlds population is now over 50 % urban, and cities account for the majority of greenhouse gas ghg emissions. Data from six cities with repeat ghg emission inventories for the period 20042009 is examined. Which major cities are leaders in reducing greenhouse gas. This paper discusses the greenhouse gas emissions of the usa which cause the global warming in the atmosphere. Food production accounts for approximately 30 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions.