Guidelines for European cities: a flexible and efficient approach for creating city emission inventories

Climate change is a global phenomenon that severely impacts urban life. At the same time, cities are key contributors to climate change, as urban activities are major sources of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions (UN Human Settlements Programme, 2024). City emission inventories provide an overview of how much GHGs (and air pollutants) are emitted during a specific period, from which activities, and at which location. This type of information assists local stakeholders in making informed decisions to support their climate action plans and other sustainability efforts aimed at creating cleaner, healthier, and more resilient places to live. City emission inventories are, therefore, the foundation for smart, data-driven sustainability strategies at the city level. We believe an emission inventory should be easily achievable for all European cities, independent of their resources.