Speaker
Description
As cities increasingly commit to achieving carbon neutrality, they engage in greenhouse gas (GHG) inventories to measure their emissions. These inventories are guided by international frameworks, such as the Global Protocol for Community-Scale Greenhouse Gas Emission Inventories (GPC) and primarily rely on production-based carbon accounting (PBCA).
However, growing claims, both from the literature and policy circles, highlight the limitations of PBCA, emphasizing that it captures only a partial view of urban emissions. Consumption-based carbon accounting (CBCA) addresses this gap by considering embedded emissions in goods and services consumed within cities. This is particularly important in European and Northern American cities, where production-based emissions are declining while consumption-based emissions are projected to increase. Overall, CBCA is considered to offer a more comprehensive and equitable framework for addressing urban GHG emissions, incentivizing the adoption of policies that promote less carbon-intensive consumption.
Despite its promise, CBCA presents challenges, particularly in governance and implementation. However, existing studies predominantly address methodological issues, such as data collection and calculation techniques,while the political and governance dimensions at the city level remain underexplored. This study bridges that gap by investigating the governance conditions necessary for CBCA implementation, using Paris and Gothenburg as case studies. Both cities are leaders in this area, having established ambitious targets for consumption-based emissions reduction. The research employs a mixed-method approach, analyzing city documents, conducting interviews with officials, and integrating desk research to uncover key drivers of CBCA adoption.
This presentation will expose the results of that research, highlighting the governance and political factors necessary for developing CBCA in cities. It will offer insights and best practices that can inform the development of CBCA approaches in cities and support global climate networks.
References
Grasso, M., 2016. The Political Feasibility of Consumption-Based Carbon Accounting. New Polit. Econ. 21, 401–413. https://doi.org/10.1080/13563467.2016.1115828
Harris, S., Weinzettel, J., Bigano, A., Källmén, A., 2020. Low carbon cities in 2050? GHG emissions of European cities using production-based and consumption-based emission accounting methods. J. Clean. Prod. 248, 119206. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2019.119206
Lombardi, M., Laiola, E., Tricase, C., Rana, R., 2017. Assessing the urban carbon footprint: An overview. Environ. Impact Assess. Rev. 66, 43–52. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eiar.2017.06.005
Millward-Hopkins, J., Gouldson, A., Scott, K., Barrett, J., Sudmant, A., 2017. Uncovering blind spots in urban carbon management: the role of consumption-based carbon accounting in Bristol, UK. Reg. Environ. Change 17, 1467–1478. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10113-017-1112-x
Sudmant, A., Gouldson, A., Millward-Hopkins, J., Scott, K., Barrett, J., 2018. Producer cities and consumer cities: Using production- and consumption-based carbon accounts to guide climate action in China, the UK, and the US. J. Clean. Prod. 176, 654–662. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2017.12.139
Yin, L., Sharifi, A., Liqiao, H., Jinyu, C., 2022. Urban carbon accounting: An overview. Urban Clim. 44, 101195. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.uclim.2022.101195
| Keywords | Consumption-based carbon accounting; Carbon neutrality; Climate governance; Production-based carbon accounting |
|---|---|
| Best Congress Paper Award | No |
