Decarbonization plans start with an accurate accounting of current GHG emissions. This 2021 Nature report highlights chronic ways in which US cities underestimate their GHG emissions.
The report found that cities under-report their own greenhouse gas emissions, on average, by 18.3% (range: −145.5% to +63.5%) – a difference which if extrapolated to all U.S. cities, exceeds California’s total emissions by 23.5%. Differences arise because city inventories omit particular fuels and source types and estimate transportation emissions differently. These results raise concerns about self-reported inventories in planning or assessing emissions.