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US researchers map carbon emissions at street level
October 11, 2012
US researchers map carbon emissions at street level
US scientists have developed a new software that can accurately measure greenhouse gas emissions down to individual buildings and streets. The system combines information from public databases with traffic simulations and energy consumption models. Researchers believe that it could help identify the most effective places to cut emissions and could aid international efforts to verify reductions in carbon.
The new measuring system, Hestia, uses data from a number of sources including air pollution report, traffic counts and tax offices and the combines this with a modeling system for quantifying CO2 emissions down to individual building levels.
“We can go to any city in the US and do the quantification and we know it will be utterly consistent from city to city and consistent from city all the way up to nation level,” says Dr. Kevin Gurney, one of the leaders of the project.
The scientists behind the system say it can be extremely used for cities, helping them to target where to make emission cuts. And once those cuts have been made, the system can verify their effect. Verification is also a hugely contentious issue at international negotiations on global climate treaties.
Read more at BBC.
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