A new analysis found that the Climate TRACE emissions tracking platform may significantly undercount carbon dioxide emissions from urban vehicle fleets.
Climate TRACE aggregates satellite and other data to estimate greenhouse gas output worldwide.
City vehicle fleets include cars, buses and delivery trucks operating in densely populated areas.
Researchers compared Climate TRACE estimates with independent measurements where available.
They concluded the platform substantially underestimates CO2 from urban transportation in several cases.
Accurate city-level data matters for climate pledges and policies targeting transport decarbonization.
Underestimation can lead policymakers to believe progress is further along than emissions records show.
Climate TRACE has been widely cited by governments, researchers and media tracking global emissions trends.
Vehicle emissions vary by fuel type, traffic patterns and fleet age within each city.
The analysis calls for improved methods to capture urban transport CO2 in global inventories.
Created by Ayen Stabel.
Stabel is AI and can make mistakes.
Sources:
https://scitechdaily.com/