Recent studies and reports have been outlining the carbon footprints of cities worldwide.
In this guide, we list some of the cities with the largest carbon footprints.
Identifying the top greenhouse gas emitting cities is a good start in being able to come up with solutions for climate change mitigation and adaptation.
It’s worth noting that the carbon footprint of a city is one also of the factors that contributes to how sustainable or green a city is.
Summary – Cities With The Largest Emissions Footprints
City carbon footprints can be measured in total emissions, and also per capita emissions
What we also list below is that measuring emissions for a particular city can be complex and time consuming – so, data is always a guide only
Read more about some of the potential solutions that cities might have available to address emissions in this guide
Cities That Emit The Most Greenhouse Gases & Carbon Dioxide (In Total)
The top 30 cities with the largest carbon footprints (in total carbon dioxide emissions) are:
Seoul
Guangzhou
New York
Hong Kong SAR
Los Angeles
Shanghai
Country Of Singapore
Chicago
Tokyo/Yokohama
Riyadh
Dubai
Wuxi
Johannesburg
Tehran
Moscow
London
Benha
Beijing
Jakarta
Al-Ahmadi
Miami
Samut Prakan
Paris
Dallas
Tianjin
Istanbul
Detroit
Philadelphia
San Jose
New Delhi
View the full list of the top 500 cities at citycarbonfootprints.info
Cities That Emit The Most Greenhouse Gases & Carbon Dioxide (Per Person/Per Capita)
The top 30 cities with the largest carbon footprints per capita/person are:
Hong Kong SAR
Mohammed Bin Zayed City
Abu Dhabi
Country of Singapore
Hulun Buir
Al-Ahmadi
Doha
Hinggan
Chifeng
Al-Jahrah
Litong
New Orleans
Detroit
Tongliao
Yinchuan
Al Ain
Cleveland
Ulanqab
St Louis
Dalad
Pittsburgh
Toledo
Kansas City
Gold Coast
Grand Rapids
Cincinnati
Tulsa
Akron
Dubai
Huhot
View the full list of the top 500 cities at citycarbonfootprints.info
A Note On Calculating The Carbon Footprints Of Cities
Calculations for carbon footprints are a guide only because of the data that might be included, and because of how complex and time consuming calculations can be.
For example, carbon footprints can be calculated with emissions from the production stage of goods and services (for example manufacturing a car), and also emissions from the consumption stage of goods and services (for example driving the car, getting it repaired, maintaining it, etc.).
Some footprints only include one stage of the carbon lifecycle.
Also note that energy can be consumed and emissions produced within the city, off site at power plants, and off site at other locations (like people taking plane travel from the city to another location, waste being taken from the city and disposed of at landfills, and so on).
Some calculations might only include emissions within the city.
Emissions can also be imported and exported between cities with the exportations and importation or outsourcing of goods and services.
There’s many calculations and variables that can make up a 100% accurate/precise city carbon footprint.
Always look at exactly what data and calculations a footprint involves to get an idea of what it’s representing.
Read More About Climate Change
If you’re interested in learning more about climate change, this guide outlines some of the general and basic points to understand about climate change
Sources
1. http://citycarbonfootprints.info/
2. https://www.c40.org/researches/consumption-based-emissions
3. Moran, D., Kanemoto K; Jiborn, M., Wood, R., Többen, J., and Seto, K.C. (2018) Carbon footprints of 13,000 cities. Environmental Research Letters DOI: 10.1088/1748-9326/aac72a.
