Tracking emissions state by state

The STARRS pilot project, initiated by Climate Group and Climate TRACE, demonstrates how satellite imagery and artificial intelligence can provide timely, granular greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions data for subnational governments. By tracking six pilot regions—Abruzzo (Italy), Basque Country (Spain), Jalisco (Mexico), Querétaro (Mexico), Pernambuco (Brazil), and Western Cape (South Africa)—the project addressed common barriers to emissions accounting, such as high costs and long timeframes associated with traditional bottom-up methods. The project provided historical data from 2015 to 2021 across sectors including electricity, heavy industry, and road transport, while also mapping biomass changes. Findings for the pilot regions highlighted specific emission drivers, such as the dominance of the Bilbao Refinery in the Basque Country's oil and gas sector and the significant impact of feedlots in Jalisco and Western Cape.

• Subnational governments that possess GHG emissions inventories are four times more likely to have set region-wide emissions reduction targets compared to those without such inventories; specifically, 60% of those with inventories reported a target, compared to only 15% of those without.
• Traditional bottom-up GHG inventory methods are resource-intensive and slow, often taking up to two years to complete, which frequently results in outdated data that does not reflect current emissions trends.
• The STARRS project provided emissions data for six pilot regions from 2015 to 2021, covering sectors such as electricity generation, heavy industry (steel and cement), oil and gas, road transport, aviation, and land use change.
• In Abruzzo, Italy, 2021 emissions were estimated at 2.4 million metric tonnes CO2e, with cement manufacturing, road transportation, and electricity generation identified as the largest emitting subsectors.
• In the Basque Country, Spain, 2021 emissions were estimated at 9.1 million metric tonnes CO2e. The Bilbao Refinery alone generated 16% of the region's oil and gas refining emissions and 1% of Spain's total emissions in 2021.
• In Jalisco, Mexico, 2021 emissions were estimated at 12 million metric tonnes CO2e. The region experienced significant biomass loss between 2015 and 2021, with forest loss releasing 80 million tonnes of CO2e and shrubland-grassland loss releasing six million tonnes.
• In Pernambuco, Brazil, 2021 emissions were estimated at 10.7 million metric tonnes CO2e. Oil and gas refining is a major contributor, accounting for 27% of the state's emissions, with the Petrobras RNEST refinery emitting nearly three million tonnes of CO2e annually.
• In Querétaro, Mexico, 2021 emissions were estimated at 4.3 million metric tonnes CO2e. The region saw a net biomass loss between 2015 and 2021, with forest biomass loss releasing approximately one million tonnes of CO2e.
• In Western Cape, South Africa, 2021 emissions were estimated at 7.8 million metric tonnes CO2e. The region experienced a decrease in forest biomass from 2015 to 2021, releasing approximately three million tonnes of CO2e, while shrubland-grassland biomass increase sequestered 6.5 million tonnes.

APA

Climate TRACE (n.d.). Tracking emissions state by state. https://media.climatetrace.org/starrs_en_f33b2f12f2.pdf

Chicago

Climate TRACE. Tracking emissions state by state. n.d. https://media.climatetrace.org/starrs_en_f33b2f12f2.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Climate TRACE |title=Tracking emissions state by state |url=https://media.climatetrace.org/starrs_en_f33b2f12f2.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{climatetracendtracking, author = {{Climate TRACE}}, title = {{Tracking emissions state by state}}, institution = {Climate TRACE}, url = {https://media.climatetrace.org/starrs_en_f33b2f12f2.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }