The Carbon Track and Trace (CTT) project provides a sound, empirical basis for the development of more advanced greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions inventory methods. This includes deployment of autonomous sensors and software to reduce the cost and complexity of conducting GHG inventories, enabling local governments to automatically log and analyse their direct GHG emissions. Thanks to a cost-benefit analysis (CBA) and geo-spatial databases, municipalities can develop evidence-based planning and policies for mitigation strategies.

The purpose of the CBA study is to close the information gap by comparing activity data and automated sensor based emission inventories over the short- and long-term. A survey was conducted, both by phone and in a written format, with leading inventory experts from European local governments, energy agencies, local government associations, regional and national authorities, and consultancies. In total, 17 stakeholders were surveyed. In a first step, major costs related to an activity based GHG inventory were assessed. This was followed by an analysis of information on data access, reliability and availability per energy sector, as well as data used for municipal inventories and decision-making processes. Perceptions and expectations of the benefits and co-benefits when applying activity or sensor based systems to specific energy sectors were then assessed.

The results reveal that about two-thirds of municipal emission inventories are outsourced in parts or completely. This includes the development of Sustainable Energy and Climate Action Plans. The cost of outsourcing a Baseline or Monitoring Emission Inventory to a third party are generally recognised, however costs for in-house activities linked to outsourcing, and in particular for municipal activity data gathering and coordination, are often underestimated. The study shows that these costs can add up to an average €12,500 for an inventory, with substantial variation in costs across countries. Full results of the CTT survey will be released in January 2017.

For more information, visit www.carbontrackandtrace.com.Image copyright: Image (Flickr) by "Bruno Jargot", licensed under CC BY 2.0 more   16 December 2016 Bristol launches resilience strategyBristol (United Kingdom) laid out its path towards greater resilience by officially launching its Resilience Strategy last Monday. The strategy provides a framework to protect Bristol against potential shocks and pressures it may encounter in the future.

Marvin Rees, Mayor of Bristol, said: "Resilience speaks to everything that we do and this strategy will help us, our partners and the community develop a strong plan for our shared future.

"By setting out a clear and deliberate vision of what and where we want to be as a city, we hope to be better placed to deal with issues that affect us now and into the future."

The strategy aims to build on the work already being done to make the city socially, environmentally and economically sustainable. It sets out intentions to create a "˜flourishing' city and tackle some of Bristol's major issues, including traffic congestion, affordable housing, and child poverty.

Bristol is a partner city of Smart Mature Resilience, a multi-disciplinary research project working for more resilient cities in Europe. As part of the project, Bristol is working closely together with Donostia/San Sebastià¡n, ICLEI and the SMR project scientists to develop tools to support resilience development in cities around Europe.

Bristol has also been actively involved in developing the Resilience Maturity Model, which enables cities to self-assess its resilience status and provides a roadmap for how cities' resilience development could be rolled out, as well as a new Resilience Information Portal. Both tools are already online and freely available for cities to download and use.

For more information, visit smr-project.eu/bristol.Image copyright: Image (Bristol City Council) more

» Publication Date: 19/12/2016

» Source: Iclei Europe

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