Urban GHG emissions and resource flows: Methods for understanding the complex functioning of cities

M.Y. Roche
DOI:  10.12910/EAI2015-012

In recent decades, better data and methods have become available for understanding the impacts and underlying dynamics of urban GHG emissions and, to a lesser extent, urban material and resource flows. This short article sums up recent developments in methods for the accounting and allocation of GHG emissions and energy use to cities, as well as the extent of their application on the field. Moreover it introduces the growing body of knowledge on urban metabolism and material flow analysis for cities. Drawing from examples, it illustrates the policy implications of different measurement approaches (e.g. consumption-based vs. territorial emission inventories) and the effect of differences in the system boundary. Finally, the efforts currently underway to build pragmatic databases and tools and to harmonise protocols (e.g. Global Protocol for Community-Scale Greenhouse Gas Emissions (GPC) is presented.