Tracking influences of Asian Urban GHG emissions for Sustainability Policies: Preliminary Report

Abstract

While nations have made commitments to address climate change, scholars estimate that even if these commitments are met, there remains an emissions gap between where we are and where we want to be to keep the globe under 1.5°C. Cities around the world are working to reduce this gap. Asian cities are large greenhouse gas (GHG) emitters and will be so over the next few decades. It is therefore urgent to identify ways in which the region’s cities can become more efficient and less polluting. This study is an APN research project that examines the GHG emissions at the sub-city level across 5 Asian cities (Tokyo, Beijing, Taipei, Seoul and Bangkok) as well as in New York City. The attempt is to identify potential strategies for low-carbon pathways. The research demonstrates that, in most cases, national and urban emissions are increasing, although the APN research teams identified stable emissions over the past few years in Beijing and Tokyo. However, the emissions profiles are different. Therefore, reducing emissions will require different strategies across the region’s cities. The study identifies some general policy priorities for cities based on the results of case studies.