Citywide Transportation Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventories

The paper examines the complexities of developing citywide transportation GHG emissions inventories, highlighting that results vary based on decisions regarding boundaries, trip inclusion, and data collection. It reviews diverse methodologies—including those from the World Bank, the European Commission, San Francisco, and Lisbon—and argues that accurate inventories are essential for climate action plans and performance-based funding.

• Transportation is a primary target for emissions reduction, representing 14.3% of global greenhouse gas emissions in 2005. In the United States, the sector's impact is more significant, accounting for over 33% of total nationwide CO2 emissions in 2008, with urban passenger transport alone contributing nearly 15% of total CO2 emissions.
• The results of a citywide transportation emissions inventory can vary significantly depending on the methodology chosen, specifically regarding the definition of boundaries, which trips are included, and the methods used for data collection.
• There is no universal standard for creating these inventories; instead, methodologies vary in scope and data requirements, with examples including the World Bank Citywide Methodology, the European Commission’s COPERT model, and specific local approaches used in Lisbon and San Francisco.
• Accurate inventories serve as critical tools for climate policy: in the US, they could enable performance-based transportation funding, while in the developing world, they inform reduction strategies and support applications for Nationally Appropriate Mitigation Action (NAMA) financing.

APA

World Resources Institute (n.d.). Citywide Transportation Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventories. https://www.wri.org/research/citywide-transportation-greenhouse-gas-emissions-inventories

Chicago

World Resources Institute. Citywide Transportation Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventories. n.d. https://www.wri.org/research/citywide-transportation-greenhouse-gas-emissions-inventories.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=World Resources Institute |title=Citywide Transportation Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventories |url=https://www.wri.org/research/citywide-transportation-greenhouse-gas-emissions-inventories |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{worldresourcesinstitutendcitywide, author = {{World Resources Institute}}, title = {{Citywide Transportation Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventories}}, institution = {World Resources Institute}, url = {https://www.wri.org/research/citywide-transportation-greenhouse-gas-emissions-inventories}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }