Emission Map of Cities: GPC

Scopes and BASIC Level in GPC

Calculating a city's carbon footprint is much more than just measuring smoke from chimneys. Indirect emissions from electricity consumption or waste disposed of outside the city boundaries must also be included. To organize this complexity and avoid "double counting", the GPC Standard categorizes emissions under specific "Scopes". So what do these scopes mean and what does the BASIC level, the starting point for cities, include?

Addressing Emissions: What Do Scopes Mean?

The GPC classifies emissions into three main categories based on where they physically occur. This classification is vital for clarifying the source of emissions and determining the limits of responsibility:

Scope 1 (Regional/Territorial):

This is the most direct source of emissions. It refers to GHG emissions from sources located within the geographical boundary of the city. For example, exhaust gases from fossil fuel buses traveling within the city boundaries or fuels burned for heating in buildings.

Scope 2 (Energy Indirect):

This scope covers energy that is used within city boundaries but whose production usually takes place elsewhere. These are emissions from the use of grid-supplied electricity, heat, steam or cooling within city boundaries. Grid electricity used in commercial or residential buildings is the most common example.

Scope 3 (Other Indirect):

Emissions that are triggered by activities within the city boundaries, but physically occur outside the city. A clear example is the disposal of waste generated in the city in a landfill outside the city boundaries.

Starting Point for Cities: BASIC Reporting Level

Not all cities have the same data collection capacity. Recognizing these differences, GPC offers two main levels of reporting, the first of which is the BASIC level. BASIC is the minimum requirements covering emission sources that are available in almost all cities and for which data is more readily available. For a city to produce a GPC-compliant inventory, it must at least meet this level. The BASIC level mandates the following critical emission sources:

Stationary Energy:

Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions (fuel and electricity use in buildings).

Transportation:

Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions (fuel and electricity used in urban transportation).

Waste:

Scope 1 and Scope 3 emissions (waste disposed of in the city or sent outside the city).

This structure allows cities to consistently report on the most basic and largest emission sources (energy, transport and waste) without getting lost in complex data sets.