ABSTRACT. Despite the relevance of urban greenhouse gas accounting for net-zero carbon cities, only limited research has been conducted on this topic. In this article, I cumulate previous research findings indicating that diminished carbon removal should be correlated with decreased consumption to attain climate mitigation goals. I contribute to the literature on sustainable economic growth and CO2 emission reduction by showing that carbon accounting can assist in controlling peak CO2 emissions and achieving carbon neutrality. Throughout April 2022, I performed a quantitative literature review of the Web of Science, Scopus, and ProQuest databases, with search terms including “urban greenhouse gas accounting + net-zero carbon cities” + “sustainable development,” “renewable energy,” and “climate change.” As I inspected research published between 2021 and 2022, only 183 articles satisfied the eligibility criteria. By eliminating controversial findings, outcomes unsubstantiated by replication, too imprecise material, or having similar titles, I decided upon 36, generally empirical, sources. Data visualization tools: Dimensions (bibliometric mapping) and VOSviewer (layout algorithms). Reporting quality assessment tool: PRISMA. Methodological quality assessment tools include: AXIS, Dedoose, Distiller SR, and MMAT.

Keywords: urban; greenhouse gas; accounting; net-zero; carbon; city

How to cite: Ionescu, L. (2022). “Urban Greenhouse Gas Accounting for Net-Zero Carbon Cities: Sustainable Development, Renewable Energy, and Climate Change,” Geopolitics, History, and International Relations 14(1): 155–171. doi: 10.22381/GHIR141202210.

Received 27 April 2022 • Received in revised form 23 June 2022
Accepted 29 June 2022 • Available online 30 June 2022