Monitoring emissions could encourage the US to do the same

t is well known that cities are the main culprit when it comes to emitting harmful gases into the atmosphere.

As cities are the main culprit in affecting global climate change, the majority of scientists believe that they must be tackled first if the problem is going to be eradicated long-term.

Meeting international emission targets is only viable with the help of cities, and the United States of America.

Cities across the world are thought to account for 80 per cent of the emissions, due to the fact they are industrial, housing, business and transport capitals.

If European cities come up with solutions to global climate change, it is thought that the US may follow suit which is vital in reaching targets.

"While all countries under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) are legally obliged to report their national greenhouse gas emissions, different countries use different methods to do so," says The Carbon Brief.

This inconsistency may be detrimental to the progression of emission-cutting.

Some specialists have called for a worldwide city plan, which would ensure that all cities are working in the same way.

Many people believe that cities have not had enough guidance on how they can best reduce emissions.

Of course, a plan for the countryside should look very different from a plan for cities, but this unfortunately isn't always the case.

The Carbon Brief believes that action must be taken quickly as the problem is only set to increase.

"With the global population approaching nine billion and 68 per cent of people expected to be living in urbanised areas by 2050, the way cities develop in the future is set to be critical when it comes to setting and meeting international emission reduction targets," The Carbon Brief says.