Assessing the urban carbon footprint: An overview

Lombardi, Mariarosaria; Laiola, Elisabetta; Tricase, Caterina; Rana, Roberto Leonardo

doi:10.1016/j.eiar.2017.06.005

Cited by 146 publications

(72 citation statements)

References 76 publications

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“…The city-scale studies highlight the benefits of CBA for cities. In order to implement effective mitigation strategies, it is important to have accurate, comparable, and comprehensive GHG accounting (Wiedmann 2016, Fry et al 2018, see also the review by Lombardi et al 2017). Several authors state clearly that CBA should be adopted routinely in cities (Paloheimo and Salmi 2013, Feng et al 2014, Chen et al 2016a.…”

Section: City Policiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

What can we learn from consumption-based carbon footprints at different spatial scales? Review of policy implications

Ottelin

Ala-Mantila

Heinonen

et al. 2019

Environ. Res. Lett.

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Background: Current climate change mitigation policies, including the Paris Agreement, are based on territorial greenhouse gas (GHG) accounting. This neglects the understanding of GHG emissions embodied in trade. As a solution, consumption-based accounting (CBA) that reveals the lifecycle emissions, including transboundary flows, is gaining support as a complementary information tool. CBA is particularly relevant in cities that tend to outsource a large part of their production-based emissions to their hinterlands. While CBA has so far been used relatively little in practical policymaking, it has been used widely by scientists. Methods and design: The purpose of this systematic review, which covers more than 100 studies, is to reflect the policy implications of consumption-based carbon footprint (CBCF) studies at different spatial scales. The review was conducted by reading through the discussion sections of the reviewed studies and systematically collecting the given policy suggestions for different spatial scales. We used both numerical and qualitative methods to organize and interpret the findings of the review. Review results and discussion: The motivation for the review was to investigate whether the unique consumption perspective of CBA leads to similarly unique policy features. We found that various carbon pricing policies are the most widely supported policy instrument in the relevant literature. However, overall, there is a shortage of discussion on policy instruments, since the policy discussions focus on policy outcomes, such as behavioral change or technological solutions. In addition, some policy recommendations are conflicting. Particularly, urban density and compact city policies are supported by some studies and questioned by others. To clarify the issue, we examined how the results regarding the relationship between urban development and the CBCF vary. The review provides a concise starting point for policymakers and future research by summarizing the timely policy implications.

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Section: City Policiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

What can we learn from consumption-based carbon footprints at different spatial scales? Review of policy implications

Ottelin

Ala-Mantila

Heinonen

et al. 2019

Environ. Res. Lett.

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“…Rapid urbanization and economic growth have led to accelerating transport growth and substantial accompanying carbon emissions in China. Carbon emission reduction or carbon footprint downsizing are increasingly viewed as critical in promoting health benefits and environmentally-friendly cities [1,2]. China is the world's largest emitter of carbon dioxide and accounts for 27% of global emissions, and its transportation sector accounts for 12.7% of its total energy consumption [3].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Panel Investigation of High-Speed Rail (HSR) and Urban Transport on China’s Carbon Footprint

Strauss

2019

Sustainability

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Rapid urbanization and industrialization in Chinese cities have substantially elevated carbon emissions, and transportation plays a major role in these emissions. Due to data availability, research on the impact of both high-speed rail (HSR) and other urban transportation modes on urban carbon emissions is rare. Using a relatively large panel of 194 Chinese cities from 2008–2013, we examine the impact of HSR, conventional rail, bus, roads, and subways on urban carbon emissions. We further document the interaction of these transport modes with geo-economic variables, and more accurately measure HSR’s impact on emissions using a comprehensive accessibility metric. During this time, China developed, constructed and began to operate an extensive HSR network. Our results show that increases in HSR lead to rises in carbon emissions, emissions per GDP unit and per capita. We also find that transportation’s impact on carbon emissions differs by city size and region, and transportation modes significantly interact with GDP, population and urban area to affect carbon emissions. These interactions imply that the government’s promotion of HSR over conventional rail may have unintended consequences and boost urban carbon emissions.

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“…To calculate city-scale absolute emissions, comparisons have been conducted among scope 1 (direct emissions from onsite fossil fuel consumption), scope 2 (indirect emissions from consuming energy such as purchased electricity, stream and heat) and scope 3 (other indirect emissions) (Lombardi et al, 2017). In addition, as for the accounting systems involved, concepts and contents of territorial, production-and consumption-based systems have been introduced (Lombardi et al, 2017), making accounting boundaries clear. Thus, two main methods have been…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Structural patterns of city-level CO2 emissions in Northwest China

Tian

Shan

Zheng

et al. 2019

Journal of Cleaner Production

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In Northwest China, quantifying city-level CO 2 emissions is fundamental to CO 2 alleviation but encounters difficulties in data availability and quality. Further, structuring citylevel emissions could be conductive to CO 2 reduction. This study applies a practical methodology to 16 northwestern Chinese cities to grasp their historical trajectories of CO 2 emissions. Then, structuring CO 2 emissions is explored in terms of industrial structure, energy mix and urban-rural disparities for 8 northwestern Chinese cities. Results show that: (1) for 16 cities (2010-2015), capital and industrial cities generated most emissions. Meanwhile, CO 2 emissions were mostly incompatible with CO 2 intensity, but consistent with CO 2 per capita; (2) for 8 cities (2006~2015), energy producing sectors, heavy manufacturing sectors, and coal remained major drivers of emissions. Then, the interconnection between industrial structure and energy mix exerted temporally varying impacts on emissions from energy producing sectors and heavy manufacturing sectors. Besides, urban gas consumption and rural coal use continued affecting most of household consumption emissions and household consumption emissions per capita. Moreover, the interplay between emissions and population was changed when emissions by energy type were decomposed among urban and rural households; and (3) uncertainty results averagely fall in the range of-39% to 6%. Finally, implications for CO 2 reduction and future work are proposed. Highlights • CO 2 intensity differs from CO 2 emissions and CO 2 per capita across most cities • Structural changes in CO 2 emissions are city-specific in Northwest China (2006~2015) • Energy producing sectors and coal are still main drivers of emissions • Rural coal use remains a vital concern to curb rural household consumption emissions • The interplay between emissions and household population changes with energy types

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Assessing the urban carbon footprint: An overview

Cited by 146 publications

References 76 publications

What can we learn from consumption-based carbon footprints at different spatial scales? Review of policy implications

What can we learn from consumption-based carbon footprints at different spatial scales? Review of policy implications

A Panel Investigation of High-Speed Rail (HSR) and Urban Transport on China’s Carbon Footprint

Structural patterns of city-level CO2 emissions in Northwest China

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