Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventory
How Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Reporting Works
Greenhouse Gas (GHGs) emissions are causing climate change, and it is important to understand what human activities are creating them. The Office of Sustainability partners with ICLEI-Local Governments for Sustainability (ICLEI) to create periodic inventories of Richmond’s GHG emissions using 2008 as a baseline year.
The City has prepared annual inventories for the calendar years 2013-2018 and recently completed its 2022 GHG Emissions inventory with plans to release updated reports every 4 years. Richmond’s inventories are verified as compliant with the ICLEI Protocol for Government Operations and the US Protocol for Accounting and Reporting of GHG Emissions.
RVAgreen 2050 GHG Emissions Targets
The RVAgreen 2050 Climate Equity Action Plan outlines two targets for achieving carbon neutrality from the 2008 baseline:
45% reduction in GHG emissions by 2030
100% reduction (“Net Zero”) GHG emissions by 2050
Net Zero means reducing greenhouse gas emissions to as close to zero as possible and pulling just as much carbon out of the atmosphere as we pump into it. (Source: World Resources Institute)
“It is in the best interests of the citizens of the City of Richmond that the Council recognize the effects of global warming and establish a climate action goal to achieve a 45% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 and net zero gas emissions by 2050.”
- City of Richmond Net Zero Resolution
Key Definitions
What are Greenhouse Gases (GHGs)?
Greenhouse gases (GHGs) are gases in the earth’s atmosphere that trap heat and warm the planet. GHGs include carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, and fluorinated gases. The right proportion of GHGs keep our planet warm enough to support life. When there are too many GHGs in our atmosphere, too much heat is trapped and overall temperature rises. Human activity such as burning fossil fuels has caused a dramatic increase in these gases since around 1900, and the trend has rapidly accelerated in recent years.
What are CO2 Equivalents (CO2e)?
Carbon dioxide equivalents (CO2e) are a unit of measurement that compares the climate impact of various greenhouse gases (GHGs) to carbon dioxide (CO2). CO2e is calculated by multiplying the mass of a gas by its global warming potential (GWP). We use CO2e to standardize emissions data across sectors and sources.
What is Global Warming Potential (GWP)?
The Global Warming Potential (GWP) is a measure of how much energy the emission of 1 ton of a gas will absorb over a given period of time, relative to the emission of 1 ton of carbon dioxide (CO2). The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) quantifies the GWP of the seven main greenhouse gases and groups of gases: carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (N2O), perfluorocarbons (PFCs), hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), nitrogen trifluoride (NF3), and sulphur hexafluoride (SF6).
GHG Emissions Inventory - 2022 Update
2022 Citywide GHG Inventory
The Citywide GHG Inventory accounts for all GHG Emissions generated within the City of Richmond and includes emissions from transportation and mobile sources; commercial, industrial, and residential building energy use; solid waste; process and fugitive emissions; and water and wastewater.
2022 Municipal GHG Inventory
The Municipal GHG Inventory accounts for all GHG Emissions generated by the municipal government that serves the City of Richmond and includes City-owned vehicles and building energy use; water and wastewater treatment facilities; employee commutes; street & traffic lights; solid waste facilities; and process and fugitive emissions.
Overall, Richmond's Citywide GHG emissions have dropped 23% between 2008 and 2022. This progress can be largely attributed to more efficient buildings and vehicles, investments in transportation alternatives, renewable energy added to the electrical power grid, and the electrification of home appliances and vehicles.
Largely speaking, emissions reductions between 2018 and 2022 came from tech advances in energy efficiency, emissions regulations, and the decreasing cost of renewables.
Citywide GHG Emissions dropped 23% between 2008 and 2022
Buildings and Transportation account for 95% of Citywide GHG Emissions
Fuel efficiency standards have greatly reduced emissions since 2008, however, Transportation remains the largest single source of GHG emissions citywide at 32%. Reducing Vehicle Miles Travelled by taking public or active transportation remains the best way to reduce personal transportation GHG emissions.
The combined GHG emissions from commercial, industrial, and residential Building Energy use make up nearly 63% of citywide GHG emissions. However, some of the largest strides in emissions reductions were made in Commercial and Residential Energy which dropped 42% between 2008 and 2022. Those gains can be attributed to energy efficiency upgrades, home weatherization, and increasingly efficient home appliances, such as heat pumps.
Industrial Natural Gas Usage Rose
While GHG emissions from Industrial Energy dropped 40% from 2008 to 2022, those gains were offset by the GHG emitted by Industrial use of natural gas, which jumped 199%. In 2008, industrial emissions made up 35% of total emissions. By 2022, that number had dropped to 29%, even with the increase in natural gas usage.
The Virginia Clean Economy Act requires that Richmond's electricity from Dominion Energy be net zero by 2045. As the energy grid mix gets cleaner, emissions from electricity usage is expected to go down. This is why electrification and switching from fossil fuels is such a large part of our clean energy future.
Per Capita Emissions Are Down -32% from 2008 to 2022
Between 2008 and 2022 the City of Richmond's population grew 13% from 202,921 to 229,395 residents. During that same period, Communitywide GHG emissions dropped 23% resulting in an overall 32% reduction in GHG emissions per capita.
This is largely due to more efficient buildings, improved gas mileage in our vehicles, and improvements in public transit.
We still have a lot of work to achieve net zero by 2050. Residents can do their part by electrifying buildings, improving home efficiency, reducing vehicle miles travelled, installing solar on homes and businesses, practicing zero waste strategies, and reducing our consumptive behaviors.
Click here to read our Sustainability Guide for tips and resources for reducing your GHG emissions.
Municipal Operations account for just 3% of Richmond’s Citywide GHG emissions
Municipal Operations account for just 3% of Richmond’s Citywide GHG emissions. Water and Wastewater Treatment constitutes the largest share at 35%, followed by Municipally-owned Buildings and Facilities at 26%, and Vehicle Fleet at 15%.
2022 Municipal Operations GHG Emissions
Municipal GHG Emissions - Insights by Sector
Methodology
Calculating Government GHG emissions from electricity involved the following steps:
A list of all city accounts with annual electricity usage (kWh) was obtained from a representative at Dominion Energy. To provide additional insight into where the electricity is being used, city accounts were placed in the following subdivisions/sectors based on their rate schedules:
a. Buildings & Facilities
b. Street & Traffic lights
c. Water & Wastewater Treatment Facilities
d. Solid Waste Facilities
*Note: Include account number to ensure each entry is unique.15
2. The emission factors were obtained from EPA’S eGRID16 (subregion: SERC Virginia/Carolina – SRVC)
Source: EPA – Subregion Emissions – Greenhouse Gases (eGRID2016v2)