Carbon Footprint Estimation for La Serena-Coquimbo Conurbation Based on Global Protocol for Community-Scale Greenhouse Gas Emission Inventories (GPC)

Abstract

High levels of greenhouse gas (GHG) emission, coupled with native forest and jungle deforestation, have led to a worldwide temperature increase. Cities are home to over half of the world’s population and generate over 80% of GHG emissions. Consequently, urban areas must become facilitation centers in the battle against climate change. The main objective of this manuscript is to estimate the carbon footprint of the La Serena-Coquimbo conurbation, seeking to determine the contribution of the area to climate change. To this end, the following steps were taken: Identification of sectors and subsectors contributing to GHG emissions in the conurbation; gathering data on selected sectors to develop a GHG inventory; and the quantification of the carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2eq) in selected sectors. The results revealed that 2,102,887 t CO2eq were generated in the conurbation by the stationary energy, transport, and waste sectors, the former being the largest contributor. We conclude that there is a need for greater environmental development in cities in order to facilitate formulation and implementation of GHG reduction proposals.