On a related subject, I thought this was interesting.
"Researchers recently published the results of developing a system for measuring global carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions in the Journal of Geophysical Research. Named “Fossil Fuel Data Assimilation System” or FFDAS, the system is able to quantify at the city level fifteen years of CO2 emissions from 1997 – 2009. The research represents the first time scientists have been able to provide a more fine grained assessment of CO2 emissions. "
"FFDAS uses remote sensing data from satellite images combined with national fuel accounts and a new global database on power plants to create a global map of CO2 emissions. FFDAS is able to quantify hourly CO2 emissions from fossil fuels at a resolution of 10 kilometers for the entire world. "
"The researchers hope this higher accuracy data will be used by world leaders and policy makers in developing climate agreements for emission reductions. “With this system, we are taking a big step toward creating a global monitoring system for greenhouse gases, something that is needed as the world considers how best to meet greenhouse gas reductions,” said Kevin Robert Gurney, lead investigator and associate professor in ASU’s School of Life Sciences. “Now we can provide all countries with detailed information about their CO2 emissions and show that independent, scientific monitoring of greenhouse gases is possible.”"
