Boulder's Community Greenhouse Gas Inventory

The greenhouse gas emissions inventory estimates carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane (CH4) emissions for the Boulder community from 1990 to the present. The inventory includes emissions sources and offsets in the categories of energy (electricity and natural gas), transportation (vehicle miles traveled) and waste (tons sent to landfills). This inventory is updated annually, based on data from Xcel Energy, the Denver Regional Council of Governments (DRCOG) and other resources in the community. Renewable energy purchases are subtracted as offsets. Appendix A of the 2010/2011 Progress Report includes information on how the emissions inventory is calculated each year.

Summary of 2010 Data

In 2010, Boulder experienced a 2.5 percent increase in greenhouse gas emissions over 2009, meaning that the community must collectively reduce its emissions by 27 percent in 2011 and 2012 to meet the Kyoto Protocol goal. Yet community emissions also remained stable from 2007 to 2010, meaning that Boulder's emissions could have been 4.5 percent higher in 2010 than they actually were, had pre-2007 trends continued. Energy-related emissions comprise almost 80 percent of the inventory, with emissions from electricity making up nearly 60 percent.

Total Emissions (In Metric Tons of C02e)

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Last Updated on Monday, 23 July 2012 09:15