Assessment of Urban Greenhouse Gas Emission Inventory in Montréal

Abstract

Assessment of Urban Greenhouse Gas Emission Inventory in Montréal Shadnoush Pashaei Farahani There is an increasing concern about global warming resulting from greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. GHGs can be produced from a wide range of anthropogenic activities at different spatial and temporal scales. Since most of the world population lives in cities, emission from urban areas is an important source of GHGs. The city is a complicated system consisting of various components and processes. Efforts have been made to mitigate urban GHG emissions. However, there is a lack of available methods for effective assessment of such emissions. Many urban sources and factors which can influence the emissions are still unknown. In the present study, the contributing factors in an urban area were identified and the GHG emission from municipal activities was assessed. A model for the assessment of urban GHG emissions was developed. Based on the collected data, a case study was conducted to evaluate urban GHG emissions in Montreal. The comprehensive assessment included the emissions from transportation (i.e. public, personal), electricity consumption, natural gas, heating oil, waste disposal, and wastewater treatment as well as the carbon sequestered by green space. This study provided a new approach for the comprehensive evaluation of urban GHG emissions. The results can help better understand the emission process, identify the major emission sources and develop the appropriate strategies for emission reduction