Cities are responsible for 70 percent of greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuels. Los Angeles and Paris are both participating in the Megacities Carbon Project, a research study by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory to develop and test methods for more accurately measuring greenhouse gas emissions from cities and power plants.
The stated goal of the project is to “demonstrate a scientifically robust capability to measure multi-year emission trends of carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), and carbon monoxide (CO) attributed to individual megacities and selected major sectors.” The methods and data collected will be shared between international partners to enhance global emissions monitoring from megacities across the globe.