Urban GHG monitoring and the WMO/UNEP Integrated Global Greenhouse Gas information system

Abstract:

Globally, urban areas account for roughly two-thirds of global energy-related Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions and can be expected to further grow in importance in the future [IPCC, 2014]. These urban emissions are especially relevant for Canada, where over 60% of the population lives in a few large population centers and over 80% in urban areas [STATSCAN, 2017]. Understanding emission drivers and tracking future changes will be crucial if non-state actors like cities, as identified in the Paris-Lima action agenda, want to be efficient leaders in GHG mitigation action.

This highlights the need for precise long-term monitoring to track emission changes. Within the framework of the Integrated Global GHG information system (IG3IS) of WMO/UNEP researchers from academia and governments have come together to add the information provided by atmospheric measurements to this puzzle, to help improve local GHG inventories and provide additional constraints on emission totals and trends for the GTHA.