King County Greenhouse Gas Emissions An Updated Geographic-plus Inventory, a Consumption-based Inventory, and an Ongoing Tracking Framework

The report finds that King County's 2008 Geographic-plus emissions were 23.4 million MTCO2e, with transportation as the primary source. However, a Consumption-based inventory reveals a much larger footprint of 55 million MTCO2e, driven by the production of imported goods and services. To better manage these emissions, the report recommends a tracking framework focused on a 'core' scope of buildings, transportation, and waste.

• In 2008, King County's Geographic-plus GHG emissions totaled 23.4 million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (MTCO2e), representing a 5 percent increase from 22.4 million MTCO2e in 2003, although per-person emissions remained stable.
• Per-person emissions in the Geographic-plus Inventory (12.4 MTCO2e) are significantly lower than the Washington State average (15.5 MTCO2e) and the U.S. average (23.3 MTCO2e), largely due to the region's low-GHG hydropower electricity and a specific industrial mix.
• Transportation was the primary source of emissions in the Geographic-plus Inventory, contributing 6.0 MTCO2e per person, with cars and trucks (4.7 MTCO2e) and air travel (1.2 MTCO2e) as the largest contributors.
• The Consumption-based Inventory shows a significantly higher emissions footprint of 55 million MTCO2e (29 MTCO2e per person), which is more than double the Geographic-plus result and roughly equal to the U.S. average.
• Approximately 73% of consumption-based emissions (40 million MTCO2e) are released outside King County, with 14 million MTCO2e occurring internationally, reflecting complex global supply chains.
• In the Consumption-based Inventory, the production phase of goods and services is the largest driver, accounting for over 60% of emissions, while the use phase accounts for over 25%.
• Food is the most emissions-intensive consumption category on a per-dollar basis, with red meat and dairy being more intensive than poultry, eggs, grains, fruits, and vegetables.
• King County's forests act as a net carbon sink, sequestering approximately 0.4 million MTCO2e annually, which is about 2% of the county's emissions.
• Recycling and composting programs in 2008 avoided approximately 2.0 million MTCO2e compared to total disposal, performing 0.7 million MTCO2e better than national average recycling rates.
• The report recommends a tracking framework with a 'Core' scope (buildings, local vehicle travel, and waste) to be updated annually, as these sources represent 70% of Geographic-plus emissions and are most susceptible to local policy influence.

APA

Chandler, C., Erickson, P., Lazarus, M., Bueno, R., Cegan, J., Munitz, C., & Stanton, E. A. (2012). King County Greenhouse Gas Emissions An Updated Geographic-plus Inventory, a Consumption-based Inventory, and an Ongoing Tracking Framework. Stockholm Environment Institute. https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/Climate-mitigation-adaptation/sei-kingcounty-ghg-2008-summary.pdf

Chicago

Chandler, Chelsea, Peter Erickson, Michael Lazarus, Ramón Bueno, Jeffrey Cegan, Charles Munitz, and Elizabeth A. Stanton. King County Greenhouse Gas Emissions An Updated Geographic-plus Inventory, a Consumption-based Inventory, and an Ongoing Tracking Framework. Stockholm Environment Institute, 2012. https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/Climate-mitigation-adaptation/sei-kingcounty-ghg-2008-summary.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Chandler |first1=Chelsea |last2=Erickson |first2=Peter |last3=Lazarus |first3=Michael |last4=Bueno |first4=Ramón |last5=Cegan |first5=Jeffrey |last6=Munitz |first6=Charles |last7=Stanton |first7=Elizabeth A. |title=King County Greenhouse Gas Emissions An Updated Geographic-plus Inventory, a Consumption-based Inventory, and an Ongoing Tracking Framework |publisher=Stockholm Environment Institute |date=February 2012 |url=https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/Climate-mitigation-adaptation/sei-kingcounty-ghg-2008-summary.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{chandler2012king, author = {Chandler, Chelsea and Erickson, Peter and Lazarus, Michael and Bueno, Ramón and Cegan, Jeffrey and Munitz, Charles and Stanton, Elizabeth A.}, title = {{King County Greenhouse Gas Emissions An Updated Geographic-plus Inventory, a Consumption-based Inventory, and an Ongoing Tracking Framework}}, institution = {Stockholm Environment Institute}, year = {2012}, month = feb, url = {https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/Climate-mitigation-adaptation/sei-kingcounty-ghg-2008-summary.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }