New Report Names Cities With Highest Greenhouse Gas Emissions

A new report from Climate Trace identifies global cities with the highest emissions. The report was released on Friday at the 29th Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP29).

The report includes an inventory of monthly emissions for states, provinces, counties and more than 9,000 cities to provide more localized information on emissions to influence climate policies.

Climate Trace’s data found Shanghai topping the list with 275.28 million metric tons of greenhouse gases across all sectors. As HuffPost reported, other top emitters include Tokyo (250 million metric tons), New York City (160 million metric tons), Houston (150 million metric tons) and Seoul (142 million metric tons). 

According to Climate Trace, most cities don’t have detailed information on their greenhouse gas emissions, emissions which could total an equivalent of around 17 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide.

“Despite pledges and promises, global greenhouse gas emissions continue their steady rise, bringing with them the toxic air pollution that disproportionately impacts communities with fewer resources,” said Al Gore, co-founder of Climate Trace and former U.S. vice president. “But when climate leadership at the global and national levels has faltered, it is state and local leaders who have stepped in to fill the void. Now, with the help of breakthroughs in AI, Climate TRACE is filling an information void that has previously hindered local leaders from taking effective action to combat the global climate crisis and environmental injustice.” 

As HuffPost reported, the Climate Trace coalition used observational data, satellite data and artificial intelligence to measure greenhouse gas emissions at a subnational level.

The report provides insights to spur climate action at the subnational level, and the findings did show some promising results for greenhouse gas emission reductions at the state and province level. According to the report, 378 states in the 30 highest-emitting countries have experienced a decline in greenhouse gas emissions from 2021 to 2024, even if some of the countries’ emissions have continued to rise. 

Globally, the report showed that carbon dioxide and methane increased 0.7% in 2023 and is expected to grow about 0.48% for 2024.

In terms of emissions reductions, the report included “low-hanging fruit” actions that could be swiftly implemented, such as investing in wastewater treatment facility cleanups that prioritize the highest emitting facilities. This alone could reduce emissions per metric ton of waste by 114% compared to spending time and money on cleaning up the 10% lowest-emitting wastewater treatment facilities.

“The newest Climate TRACE inventory finds enormous untapped potential for emissions reductions by investing in these overburdened communities,” said Gavin McCormick, co-founder of Climate Trace and an executive director at WattTime. “Intriguingly, we find this often both reduces pollution inequality and reduces more emissions in total — without requiring any more resources.”

To better facilitate climate action, Climate Trace will begin producing monthly reports on emissions rather than annual reports beginning in 2025.

The report comes at a critical time as countries around the world meet at COP29 to discuss climate action to limit warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius compared to pre-industrial levels and as the U.S. prepares for the upcoming presidency of Donald Trump, who plans to repeal climate policies and push more domestic fossil fuel production. 

As it stands, the world is currently on track to reach 2.7 degrees Celsius of warming by the end of this century under current climate policies.