Sep 2026· Environmental Research Letters· 2 citations
Abstract
Emission reductions required to meet the goals of the Paris Agreement have been extensively analyzed using integrated assessment modeling scenarios. However, the contribution of urban areas in aggregate, globally, by region and by city type, remains underexplored. Here, we develop a spatially explicit framework to downscale global emissions pathways to urban areas, differentiated by region and city type. Ambitious climate change mitigation could deliver 21 GtCO₂e of greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reductions in urban areas by 2050 relative to a continuation of current policies and trends, primarily by transitioning away from fossil fuels in electricity and heat supply, deep decarbonization of industry, and mitigation in the transport and buildings sectors. Mitigation potential is concentrated in established and rapidly growing cities, reflecting their high current per-capita emission levels. Asian regions with high urbanization levels dominate global urban emissions and reduction potentials. The findings underscore the central role of cities in achieving global climate targets and highlight the importance of differentiated mitigation strategies across regions and city types.
Urban underground sewer network is the backbone of modern cities, yet its role in global urban carbon metabolism remains a critical blind spot. Here, we establish a bottom-up, province-level accounting framework integrating multi-source socio-environmental datasets to quantify sewer-related greenhouse gas emissions acr...
Yi-Feng Feng, Mu-Xiang Liang, Xiao-Ming Liu et al.· Water Research· 0 citations
Nitrous oxide (N2O) currently lacks high-resolution urban data, hindering targeted regional mitigation. To address this, we developed a bottom-up N2O emission inventory for 339 Chinese cities from 2010 to 2024. We find national emissions substantially exceed international estimates due to uncounted industrial sources...
Urban regeneration is an important policy tool for restructuring urban space, but its implications for operational transport-related carbon emissions remain unclear. Using the City Smart Planning System (CitySPS), this study simulates emissions in Shenzhen from 2020 to 2035 under a baseline and five policy scenarios re...
Jakarta as the biggest metropolitan area in Indonesia, has contribute to the increasing amount of GHGs emissions due to rapid urbanization, transportation, industry, and energy consumption level. To facilitate low-carbon urban growth, spatial planning is essential, as it determines the distribution of emission sources...
Pungki Ari Wibowo, S. Sitorus, Indarti Komala Dewi et al.· Journal of Natural Resources...· 0 citations
District-and county-level greenhouse gas (GHG) inventories remain insufficiently developed, limiting the formulation of targeted mitigation policies at the grassroots governance scale. Taking Tongzhou District, Beijing, as a representative rapidly urbanizing megacity sub-center, this study developed an integrated dis...
Xiao-Yi Hu, Wei Wen, Tao Yang et al.· Scientific Reports· 0 citations
While high income countries are often seen as the primary contributors to global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, certain low, lower-middle and upper-middle income countries, such as Mongolia, also play a significant role. Despite Mongolia’s limited industrialization, its heavy reliance on coal-based energy (87%) and su...
