Accounting and management of city carbon emissions: Trajectories towards advanced data use

Abstract

• Article presents five trajectories for cities to expand current carbon accounting practice. • Conducted review of research to highlight state of the art carbon accounting practices. • Review highlights potential for more granular neighbourhood level climate policies. • Project and policy emission estimates represent advanced carbon accounting practice. • Identified trajectories discussed in relation to broader narratives within urban carbon accounting research. Cities simultaneously play a significant role in the production of global carbon emissions, whilst being essential in facilitating their reduction. It is common practice for cities to monitor, assess and manage their carbon emissions to inform approaches to reducing emissions. Whilst carbon accounting practice is evolving alongside accessibility of data and availability of resources, city authorities remain limited in their ability to accurately assess the carbon emissions produced within their respective city – often being constrained by political, financial and capacity factors. This paper reviews academic literature concerning the utilisation of carbon emission data to establish trajectories for advancing urban carbon accounting practice. The cases reviewed expand more typical contemporary urban carbon accounting practice through at least one of five trajectories: combining different data sources, visualising carbon emissions, developing district level mitigation policies, accounting for project level emissions, or estimating policy emission impacts. These are discussed in relation to broader narratives within urban carbon accounting research. Each trajectory offers potential development routes for city authorities as their urban carbon accounting practices mature, thereby working towards closing the gap between carbon accounting practice and academic research.

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