Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Definition

Total metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (MTCO­₂e) emissions per capita

Why is it Important?

Greenhouse gases (GHGs) are compounds that prevent heat from escaping the earth’s atmosphere. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), has found that “The main human causes of climate change are the heat-absorbing greenhouse gases released by fossil fuel combustion, deforestation, and agriculture, which warm the planet....”¹

There are many world-wide impacts of climate change including warmer temperatures, ocean acidification, and shifting weather patterns. Closer to home, the National Climate Assessment states that the Midwest will experience:

• reduced agricultural productivity because of higher humidity, more rain during the planting season, higher night-time temperatures, and loss of pollinators
• more invasive and nuisance pests such as mosquitoes, ticks, and termites because of shorter, milder winters
• more asthma, allergies, and heat/cold related injuries and deaths from humidity and extreme temperatures
• disrupted transportation networks because of flooding and heat stress on infrastructure

The IPCC has found that limiting global warming to 1.5^o(C) will require significant reductions in global greenhouse gas emissions.² Residents of the St. Louis region cannot reverse climate change on their own, but they can join the efforts of cities and regions around the world that are taking action.

How are we Doing?

A greenhouse gas inventory was compiled for the St. Louis region for the years 2010 and 2015.³ On average, residents of the St. Louis region emitted 21.1 metric tons of CO₂equivalents (MTCO­₂e) per capita in 2010 and 19.1 metric tons in 2015. Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions per capita in the St. Louis area are below the average for the United States, which was 22.4 MTCO₂e per capita in 2010 and 20.5 MTCO₂e per capita in 2015.

Nationally, the primary reason for the decrease in GHG emissions is the reduction of carbon emissions from the electrical power generation.⁴ Many factors contribute to this, including increased energy efficiency of buildings and conversion of electrical energy production from coal to gas and renewable sources. The transportation sector became the leading source of GHGs in 2016-2017 in the United States. The leading source was previously the power generation sector. In the St. Louis region, GHG emissions from power generation are decreasing, however in 2015 emissions from this source was still 2.5 times the emissions of the transportation sector.

As a region, and country, we are moving in the right direction by decreasing GHG emissions, but we have a long way to go to minimize the impacts of a changing climate. The St. Louis region has the greatest opportunity to reduce GHG emissions through the energy and transportation sectors. Continuing efforts on transitioning to renewable energy sources and more efficient buildings, as well as green transportation technologies, will help the region reduce in these areas.

Geographic Level

St. Louis eight-county bi-state region, including Franklin, Jefferson, St. Charles, and St. Louis counties and the city of St. Louis in Missouri and Madison, Monroe, and St. Clair counties in Illinois. View map.

Notes

1. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, Working Group 1, Sixth Assessment Report. Chapter 1, Frequently Asked Questions. https://www.ipcc.ch/report/ar6/wg1/downloads/faqs/IPCC_AR6_WGI_FAQs.pdf

2. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, 2016. Special Report: Global Warming of 1.5^oC. https://www.ipcc.ch/sr15/chapter/spm/

3. Data was gathered for a 2010 and 2015 regional greenhouse gas inventory by Washington University in St. Louis with partial funding provided by the Bloomberg Foundation. Total GHG emission estimates were supplied by Washington University for this update. A full report on methodology and findings is pending.

4. U.S. EPA, Inventory of U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Sinks: 1990-2019, accessed at https://www.epa.gov/ghgemissions/inventory-us-greenhouse-gas-emissions-and-sinks-1990-2019.

Data Sources

Data was gathered for a 2010 and 2015 regional greenhouse gas inventory by Washington University in St. Louis with partial funding provided by the Bloomberg Foundation. Total GHG emission estimates were supplied by Washington University for this update. A full report on methodology and findings is pending.