Datensatz

Zusammenfassung

Cities increasingly pledge net-zero emissions targets, but the robustness
of their residual emissions strategies remains uncertain. We examine the
approaches of 103 European cities aiming at net zero by 2030. Total residual
emissions are 61.4 MtCO 2e originating mostly from buildings and transport,
with the median at 0.8 tCO 2e per capita, indicating a rapid decarbonization
process. All municipal strategies rely on temporary, land-based CO2
removal, then carbon credits (40%) and permanent CO2 removal (32%).
We develop the residual emissions strategy robustness index to assess
the robustness of compensation strategies, indicating that the current
maturity is medium-low with notable geographical disparities. Although
cities invest in options mapping and governance, little attention is paid to
land availability, the potential of the urban fabric to become a distributed
carbon sink, provisions against carbon reversals, monitoring, timing and
quantification (estimates cover only 18% of total residual emissions). We also
distil recommendations and best practices to address residual emissions.