Consumption-Based Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventory for Oregon - 2005 Summary Report

The report finds that Oregon's consumption-based emissions footprint in 2005 was 78 million metric tons of CO2e, which is 47 percent greater than the emissions released within state boundaries. The largest contributors to these emissions are personal vehicles, appliances, and food and beverages, which together account for half of the total impact. The analysis highlights that a significant portion of Oregon's emissions (54%) are released outside the state due to international and national supply chains. The authors recommend that Oregon adopt regular consumption-based inventories and set specific emissions-reduction targets for consumption to maximize global climate benefits.

• Oregon's consumption-based greenhouse gas emissions footprint for 2005 was estimated at 78 million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (MMT CO2e), which is approximately 47 percent higher than the emissions released within the state's boundaries.
• More than half of the emissions associated with Oregon's consumption are released outside the state; specifically, 42 million MMT CO2e (54%) occurred outside Oregon, while 36 million MMT CO2e (46%) occurred within the state.
• Three product categories—personal vehicles, appliances, and food and beverages—account for half of the total greenhouse gas impacts of Oregon's consumption, totaling 39.7 MMT CO2e.
• The 'producer' phase of the product life cycle is the largest source of emissions at 39.0 MMT CO2e, followed closely by the 'use' phase at 32.0 MMT CO2e, while pre-purchase transportation contributes a relatively small share of about 4 percent (3.4 MMT CO2e).
• Within the food and beverage category, red meat and dairy and eggs are the largest sources of household emissions due to the methane produced by ruminant digestive tracts and the emissions from feed requirements.
• Oregon's per-capita consumption-based emissions are 21.5 tons CO2e, which is significantly higher than the 2005 world average of 7.1 tons CO2e per person and China's 2001 level of 3.1 tons CO2e per person.
• Reducing the waste of food at the source (production and purchasing) has a much higher potential for emissions reduction than managing waste after it is produced, as upstream emissions are roughly 30 times higher than disposal emissions.

APA

Erickson, P., Lazarus, M., Stanton, E. A., & Ackerman, F. (2011). Consumption-Based Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventory for Oregon - 2005 Summary Report. Stockholm Environment Institute. https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/Climate-mitigation-adaptation/SEI-Oregon-CBEI-summary-report.pdf

Chicago

Erickson, Peter, Michael Lazarus, Elizabeth A. Stanton, and Frank Ackerman. Consumption-Based Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventory for Oregon - 2005 Summary Report. Stockholm Environment Institute, 2011. https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/Climate-mitigation-adaptation/SEI-Oregon-CBEI-summary-report.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Erickson |first1=Peter |last2=Lazarus |first2=Michael |last3=Stanton |first3=Elizabeth A. |last4=Ackerman |first4=Frank |title=Consumption-Based Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventory for Oregon - 2005 Summary Report |publisher=Stockholm Environment Institute |date=2 August 2011 |url=https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/Climate-mitigation-adaptation/SEI-Oregon-CBEI-summary-report.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{erickson2011consumptionbased, author = {Erickson, Peter and Lazarus, Michael and Stanton, Elizabeth A. and Ackerman, Frank}, title = {{Consumption-Based Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventory for Oregon - 2005 Summary Report}}, institution = {Stockholm Environment Institute}, year = {2011}, month = aug, url = {https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/Climate-mitigation-adaptation/SEI-Oregon-CBEI-summary-report.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }