At the United Nations climate talks in Baku, Azerbaijan, new data released by Climate TRACE has revealed that cities in Asia and the United States emit the most heat-trapping gases contributing to climate change. The data, released on Friday, combines satellite and ground observations supplemented by artificial intelligence to assess emissions from over 9,000 urban areas globally, marking a significant step in understanding urban pollution on a global scale.
Shanghai topped the list of cities with 256 million metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions, exceeding the emissions of entire countries like Colombia and Norway. Tokyo emitted 250 million metric tons, which would place it in the top 40 if it were a nation. New York City emitted 160 million metric tons, and Houston emitted 150 million metric tons, both of which would rank them in the top 50 globally. Seoul, South Korea, ranks fifth among cities with 142 million metric tons of greenhouse gases.
In terms of states and provinces, seven regions emit more than 1 billion metric tons of greenhouse gases each year. Shandong Province in China leads all states and provinces, emitting 1.28 billion metric tons. Other significant emitters include Hebei, Shanxi, Inner Mongolia, Jiangsu, and Guangdong—also in China—and Texas in the United States, which ranks sixth globally among regions contributing to greenhouse gas emissions.
Globally, total carbon dioxide and methane pollution increased by 0.7% last year, reaching 61.2 billion metric tons. Methane emissions alone rose by 0.2%. China, India, Iran, Indonesia, and Russia had the biggest increases in emissions from 2022 to 2023, while Venezuela, Japan, Germany, the United Kingdom, and the United States had the biggest decreases in pollution.
Gavin McCormick, co-founder of Climate TRACE, explained that emissions increased "because we have such comprehensive coverage and we have observed more emissions in more sectors than are typically available." Climate TRACE quantified emissions of carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, and other traditional air pollutants, including carbon monoxide, volatile organic compounds, ammonia, and sulfur dioxide.
Former U.S. Vice President Al Gore criticized the hosting of climate talks by Azerbaijan and the United Arab Emirates, expressing concerns about the influence of oil-rich host nations on climate dialogues. "It's unfortunate that the fossil fuel industry and the petrostates have seized control of the COP process to an unhealthy degree," Gore said. He added, "One of the sites in the Permian Basin in Texas is by far the No. 1 worst polluting site in the entire world." Referring to dirty sites in Russia and China, he remarked, "But Permian Basin is putting them all in the shade."
Gore emphasized the severe impact of pollution on global health, stating, "Burning fossil fuels releases both types of pollution," referring to greenhouse gases and traditional pollutants. He noted that this pollution "represents the single biggest health threat facing humanity" and pointed out the millions of people who die worldwide each year from air pollution.
Climate officials and activists are growing increasingly frustrated with the U.N. climate talks' inability to reduce planet-warming fossil fuels and the countries and companies that promote them. On Friday, former U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, former U.N. climate chief Christina Figueres, and leading climate scientists released a letter calling for "an urgent overhaul" of climate talks. The letter stated, "The global climate process has been captured and is no longer fit for purpose," in response to Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev saying that oil and gas are a "gift of the gods."
U.N. Environment Programme Executive Director Inger Andersen said she understands much of the frustration in the letter calling for massive reform of the negotiation process. She stated, "One key benefit of the U.N. climate talks process is it is the only place where victim small island nations have an equal seat at the table." Andersen added, "The process has its limits because the rules of the game are set by member states." She noted that the push to slash emissions fits nicely with U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres' constant prodding.
Cedric Schuster, chair of the small island nations negotiating bloc, expressed concern about the direction of the talks. "We're here to defend the Paris Agreement," he said, referring to the climate deal in 2015 to limit warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 Fahrenheit). "We're concerned that countries are forgetting that protecting the world's most vulnerable is at the core of this framework," Schuster added.
An analysis from the Kick Big Polluters Out coalition said Friday that the official attendance list of the talks featured at least 1,770 fossil fuel lobbyists. Climate TRACE and other scientists and analysts have emphasized that such influences may hinder the urgent need for global cooperation to address climate change effectively.
Al Gore also criticized the hosting of climate talks by the United Arab Emirates last year. He expressed optimism about the upcoming climate talks in Brazil, saying, "Next year in Brazil, we’ll see a change in that pattern." Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has called for more action on climate change and has sought to slow deforestation since returning for a third term. However, Brazil produced more oil last year than both Azerbaijan and the United Arab Emirates, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.
The new data from Climate TRACE highlights the significant contributions of specific cities and regions to global greenhouse gas emissions, underscoring the urgent need for nations to establish stronger emission reduction commitments. As emissions continue to rise, particularly from major urban and industrial areas, the challenge of meeting climate goals set forth in agreements like the Paris Accord becomes even more pressing.
This article was written in collaboration with generative AI company Alchemiq