The Finer Things in Life: Comparing High Resolution Fossil Fuel Carbon Dioxide Emissions Inventories

The quantification of fossil fuel contributions to carbon dioxide concentrations is necessary for monitoring, reporting, and verifying carbon dioxide emissions, which is necessary for the success of international agreements to reduce emissions. However, existing fossil fuel carbon dioxide (FFCO2) emissions inventories vary in terms of the data and methods used to estimate and distribute FFCO2. This paper compares how the approaches used to create FFCO2 emissions inventories effect the magnitude and spatial distribution of emissions estimates. Five FFCO2 emission inventories were compared: Carbon Dioxide Information and Analysis Center (CDIAC), Emission Database for Global Atmospheric Research (EDGAR), Fossil Fuel Data Assimilation System (FFDAS), Open-source Data Inventory for Anthropogenic CO2 (ODIAC), and Vulcan. The effects of using specific approaches in the creation of spatially explicit FFCO2 emissions inventories, and the effect of resolution on data representation are analyzed using graphical, numerical, and cartographic data. Results are analyzed to understand the effects of using top-down versus bottom-up approaches, nightlights versus population, and the inclusion of large point sources. Understanding the relationship between these patterns and how they change with resolution supports future development of gridded FFCO2 emissions inventories.