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Colorado Greenhouse Gas Inventory

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Greenhouse Gas Inventory

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The purpose of Colorado’s Greenhouse Gas Inventory Report is to provide the most complete, accurate, precise, consistent, and comparable picture of emissions. The report covers emissions activities within the state back to 2005. 

The science of climate change is rich in scope and complexity — and continues improving. Colorado uses the best available data and evaluation methods each time updates the Greenhouse Gas Inventory Report. Numbers and trends may change from one inventory report to the next. This is a normal part of how science works and helps ensure information is becoming more accurate over time.

In 2019, Colorado adopted Senate Bill 19-096 (SB 19-096). This law requires the Air Pollution Control Division to publish an updated statewide greenhouse gas inventory at least every two years. Colorado also adopted  House Bill 19-1261 (HB19-1261) in 2019. This law established the first statewide greenhouse gas reduction goals. It also requires progress reports to the legislature every odd-numbered year. 

 

Each updated Greenhouse Gas Inventory Report includes past, recent, and projected  emissions for the following sectors: 

  • Energy
  • Agriculture
  • Industrial Processes and Product Use
  • Land Use, Land Use Change, and Forestry
  • Waste Management

Each updated Greenhouse Gas Inventory Report uses reported data from air pollution sources and other data, such as the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s State Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Removals dataset or the State Inventory Tool.

The Greenhouse Gas Inventory is published every two years. The Final 2023 Statewide Greenhouse Gas Inventory has been published and can be found in the links below: 

 

The emissions data from the 2023 Inventory are also provided in an Excel Spreadsheet and can be found in the links below:

2023 Colorado Greenhouse Gas Inventory Data (.xlsx) 

 

Major changes in the 2023 inventory include:

  • Updates to data sources and methods
  • Changes from AR4 to AR5 global warming potentials
  • Changes in emissions for all years from 2005 to 2020 
  • Greater depth in analyses
  • Changes in organization to better align with the National Inventory
  • Improvements in transparency and data availability

Significant changes from the Draft Version 2 (published 12/8/2023) to the Final Version (published 12/29/2023) are detailed in the links below:

If you would like to access any draft release of the 2023 Inventory or have any questions, please email climatechange@state.co.us.

 

Past Greenhouse Gas Inventory Publications:

 

Current information on critical metrics that impact greenhouse gas emissions between inventories is available in the Greenhouse Gas Metrics dashboard. This information is available in English and Spanish.

 

For information related to public meetings and other stakeholder engagement opportunities, explore the Stakeholder Opportunities and Involvement section below.

It is important to note that development of the Colorado Statewide Greenhouse gas Inventory is a process of continual improvement. Future reports will continue to expand the quantity and quality of data sources and methods. Each refinement comes with possible revisions to historical estimates, including updates to baseline and target years. This is a mandatory part of the process to ensure that all years are comparable in any given snapshot. 

 

Similarly, future projections are continually revisited to remain in sync with the latest historical estimates and to incorporate new policy measures.

 

Data sources used for the 2023 Inventory are forthcoming.

 

Progress Reports to the Air Quality Control Commission

 

The Air Pollution Control Division published a report to meet requirements in the “Resolution to Ensure Greenhouse Gas Reduction Goals Are Met” adopted by the Colorado Air Quality Control Commission on October 23, 2020. The division conducted its evaluation for the report in August 2022 as required by the resolution. The division submitted the report to the commission.

 

Air Quality Control Commission Greenhouse Gas Reduction Goals Progress Report

 

Reports to the Legislature

 

To meet the requirements from House Bill 19-1261 (§ 25-7-105(1)(e)(VII), C.R.S.), every odd-numbered year the Air Pollution Control Division must:

  • Track progress toward state and sector-specific greenhouse gas reduction goals.
  • Provide any updated cost-benefit or regulatory analyses developed for rules adopted to attain the goals.
  • Make recommendations on future commission rules or policies sufficient to achieve the goals.
  • Make recommendations on future legislative action to address climate change. 

 

2023 Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reduction Progress Report to Colorado Legislature

2021 Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reduction Progress Report to Colorado Legislature

2023 Greenhouse Gas Inventory Fact Sheet in English and Español.

  • Updated Draft: 2023 Statewide Greenhouse Gas Inventory (v2)
    • This updated draft includes new content and edits to the previously release Draft (v1).
    • Some sections have seen the addition of, removal of, or edits to individual words or as much as entire paragraphs. 
    • New sections include:
      • Section 1.1.1.1 The Science of Global Warming and Climate Change
      • Section 1.1.1.2 Regional and State Effects of Climate Change 
      • Section 1.2.2.1 Historical Emissions - IPCC
      • Section 1.2.2.2 Emission Projections
      • Section 1.2.3.5 Energy Policy Simulator via RMI and Roadmap 2.0 Development
      • Section 2.8 Projections and Progress Towards Statutory Targets 
      • Almost all text in Chapter 8 Global Warming Potential Comparisons
      • Chapter 9 References and Resources
      • Appendices A, B, and C
  • Markup Version of the Draft 2023 Statewide Greenhouse Gas Inventory
    • This file identifies the changes made between the first (v1) and updated (v2) draft reports. Please note that this markup file focuses on highlighting substantive changes, so not every detail is provided and the page numbers may not be in alignment due to the modified structure. New content is highlighted green and deleted or replaced content has been struck through. Comparison is not offered for the Table of Contents, List of Tables, List of Figures, Acronyms & Abbreviations, Units, or Definitions sections.
  • First Draft: 2023 Statewide Greenhouse Gas Inventory (v1)
  • Draft 2023 report to the legislature: Progress Toward Reduction of Statewide Greenhouse Gas Pollution (expected to be available by December 31, 2023).

 

Upon request, the Air Pollution Control Division can provide a meeting with staff to share the general content of these documents. Language interpretation is also available upon request. Please email climatechange@state.co.us to make a request. The final inventory will be published by the end of 2023. 

 

The division will publish a plain-language executive summary of the Greenhouse Gas Inventory on this website for public review in early 2024. The executive summary will be available in English and Spanish.

Previous stakeholder engagement opportunities:

 

Contact Us

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If you have questions or comments about Colorado's greenhouse gas inventory, email climatechange@state.co.us. Please include "Greenhouse Gas Inventory" in the subject line. You can also sign up for email updates on the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment's ongoing work to address climate change and protect clean air.

Stay up-to-date on the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment's efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, climate equity, and other air quality issues by signing up for e-mail updates.