GHG emission in cities, towns and rural areas

In a rapidly urbanising world facing increasingly stringent climate constraints, understanding where and how greenhouse gases (GHG) are emitted by degree of urbanisation is crucial. This study examines how sector-specific GHG emissions have evolved over 35 years (1990–2024) in cities, towns and semi-dense areas, and rural areas, using the latest release of the Emissions Database for Global Atmospheric Research (EDGAR). For the first time, EDGAR GHG emissions are distributed at 1 km resolution using high-resolution spatial proxies, enabling a detailed characterisation of territorial emissions by degree of urbanisation globally. Results indicate that cities account for around one fifth of global GHG emissions and 45% of the world’s population. Yet per capita emissions are generally lower in cities than in rural areas in particular in high-income countries. Larger and denser cities tend to exhibit lower GHG emissions per capita than smaller and less dense urban areas, underscoring the mitigation potential of compact urban development and targeted, place-based climate policies.