WRI Publications Feed: Climate Analysis Indicators Tool (CAIT)

World Greenhouse Gas Emissions in 2005

admin — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 00:00:00 -0400

The original version of this chart appeared in Navigating the Numbers: Greenhouse Gas Data and International Climate Policy. The original chart used year 2000 data; the data used in this chart are from 2005.

World Greenhouse Gas Emissions: 2005

Comparison to 2000: Land-Use Change

The most significant change compared to 2000 concerns the net contribution of atmospheric CO2 from land-use change. In both 2005 and 2000, these data come from research published by Woods Hole Research Center, which was revised in 2008. Revised rates of deforestation in the underlying Forest Resources Assessment (FRA) data produced significantly lower estimates of CO2 from land use change compared to the previous research. As a result, CO2 from land use change accounts for a significantly lower share of GHGs than in the original chart: 12.2% as compared to 18.2%.

It is important to note that:

In the revised data, total CO2 emissions from land-use change increased between 2000 and 2005. It is only the share of emissions attributed to land-use change that decreased. This result reflects that fact that while emissions in the land-use change increased, emissions in other sectors increased at even faster rates.
The apparent decrease in land-use change emissions compared to the 2000 chart is entirely due to revised methodologies used to calculate deforestation in the underlying FRA data, and not to any actual decrease in deforestation rates. The working paper discusses this in more detail.
Estimates of CO2 from land use change are still subject to large uncertainties. Studies cited by the IPCC 4th Assessment Report show error ranges of up to ±2,933 MtCO2 (±0.8 GtC) at the global level in the 1990s.

Update: In November 2009, a group of forest experts (which included WRI) released this statement on how new research was producing revised, lower estimates of emissions from land-use change. That statement put the best current estimate at about “15 percent if peat degradation is included,” cautioning that a precise estimate is impossible due to substantial uncertainties. The joint statement is consistent with the 12.2% estimate in this chart, since the latter does not include peat degradation.

Charting the Midwest: An Inventory and Analysis of Greenhouse Gas Emissions in America's Heartland

John Larsen — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 13:35:18 -0500

This report presents a quantitative overview and analysis of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the Midwest region of the United States. The study is the first to examine all six Kyoto GHGs across the entire Midwest economy using consistent and comparable data. Although several Midwest states have previously compiled their own state GHG inventories, the methodologies and data sources of these analyses differ, making it challenging to directly compare emissions across states. The data utilized here uniquely provide a common methodological framework for readily comparing GHG emissions.

The underlying GHG emissions data of this report are exclusively drawn from the U.S. module of the World Resources Institute’s Climate Analysis Indicators Tool (CAIT-US). Emissions are examined at the regional, sectoral, and state levels, and within each context, major emissions sources, trends, and socioeconomic drivers are assessed. Also included in this report are GHG inventories for eight states in the Midwest: Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Ohio & Wisconsin. Although the accuracy of emission estimates from any individual source can vary considerably, the uncertainties associated with the CAIT-US data set tend to be comparable with those of the Environmental Protection Agency’s U.S. Inventory of Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Sinks, with sectoral emission estimates based on fuel consumption (e.g., electric generation, transportation) generally more certain than other sectors (e.g., agriculture, forestry). The latter, however, typically consistute a smaller percentage of total regional and state emissions.

These data and related analyses provide comprehensive and essential information for public officials, business representatives, advocates, and citizens in the Midwest and nationwide to fully understand the region’s role in global climate change. As these and other stakeholders consider potential responses to this complex challenge, the key findings from this report should provide a better understanding of GHG emissions in the Midwest, affirm the importance of the region in both national and international climate change conversations, and compel individuals throughout the Midwest and elsewhere to develop solutions that significantly reduce GHG emissions in ways that are both immediate and enduring.

Target: Intensity. An Analysis of Greenhouse Gas Intensity Targets

admin — Wed, 01 Nov 2006 00:00:00 -0500

Greenhouse gas intensity targets are policies that specify emissions reductions relative to productivity or economic output, for instance, tons CO2/million dollars GDP. By contrast, absolute emissions targets specify reductions measured in metric tons, relative only to a historical baseline.

This report looks specifically at intensity targets and explores their underlying indicators, rationales, real-world applications, and implementation issues. It finds that although intensity targets are often dismissed as being environmentally lax or deceptive, they nonetheless could be useful policy instruments, when properly used, for furthering significant and real commitments to reducing greenhouse gases.

Overview of GHG Intensity
International Comparisons of Intensity
Rationales for Intensity Targts
Experiences and Proposals
Evaluation
Environmental Effectiveness
Complexity & Public Understanding
Cost Uncertainty
Intensity Targets & Emissions Trading
Data Verification & Compliance

Navigating the Numbers: Greenhouse Gas Data and International Climate Policy

admin — Thu, 01 Dec 2005 00:00:00 -0500

Obtaining relevant and reliable data is the first step in addressing any environmental problem, with global climate change being no exception. In considering next steps in the international effort against climate change, policymakers and stakeholders are confronted by a wealth of data on everything from century-old emission trends to likely economic growth decades into the future. Turning these data into useful input for decision-making is an enormous challenge.

This report aims to convey the wide range of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions data in digestible form, with the hope of increasing knowledge and awareness within the climate change policy community. In addition, the report offers a set of policy-relevant insights and observations that flow from the data. In some cases, an understanding of GHG emissions and related trends can help illuminate particular national circumstances faced by countries and inform policy responses of the international community.