North Carolina Greenhouse Gas Inventory
Appalachian State University, Department of Geography and Planning
The Department of Geography and Planning has completed a complete inventory of greenhouse gas emissions for North Carolina. The inventory is unique in that it accounts for all greenhouse gas emissions at the county level and provides detailed maps of all emission categories.

The Inventory of Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Emissions in North Carolina has been conducted at the request of the Energy Division, North Carolina Department of Commerce, with funding jointly from the Energy Division and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (USEPA) Office of Policy, Planning and Evaluation, Climate Change Division, State and Local Outreach Program.

The inventory forms the first of a three-phase program that each state is to undertake. Phase I is directed at identifying GHG emissions sources and estimating their overall contribution to radiative forcing (USEPA, 1995). Phase II will assess the area of each state that are most vulnerable to climate change, and Phase III will develop state-specific GHG mitigation strategies (USEPA, 1995).

Once data were collected, relevant calculations were carried out using the Excel spreadsheet to determine various GHG emissions. Formulas came primarily from the EPA State Workbook (USEPA), with contributions also from the Wisconsin GHG Emissions Inventory (WDNR, 1993), and the EPA-developed Mobile V Emissions Model. Time series results were produced wherever possible, and Excel's regression and trend analysis formulas were used to project emissions to the years 2000, 2005, and 2010. Tables, graphs and charts were produced in Excel to illustrate actual (non-projected) emissions results per county, and state-level results for projected emissions.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

This report provides a detailed and comprehensive inventory of greenhouse gas emissions for North Carolina. Results are presented at both the state and county level for 1990 and for as many other years as data were available. Projections to the years 2000, 2005, and 2010 are presented for selected data sets. State results for 1990 are included in each section of the inventory along with county-level emissions graphs and maps, while county-level tables are included in the Appendices. The greenhouse gases inventoried comprise four "primary gases", including Carbon Dioxide (CO2), Methane (CH4), Ozone Depleting Compounds (ODC), and Nitrous Oxides (N2O), plus three "trace gases", Carbon Monoxide (CO), Non-methane Volatile Organic Compounds (NMVOC), and Oxides of Nitrogen (NOx). Primary gases are those with Global Warming Potential (GWP) equivalents of Carbon Dioxide.

The state-wide emissions summary reveals 151.7 million tons of total CO2 equivalent (primary gases) in 1990 plus 3.5 million tons in trace gases. Carbon dioxide comprises the bulk of all primary emissions at 85%, with CH4 second at 11% GWP of CO2 equivalent, ODC's at 3%, and N2O at 2%. Trace gas emissions account for 2.5 % of the total emissions. Results by emissions source category reveal that Fossil Fuels contribute 80% of North Carolina's GWP. Within fossil fuel sectors, utilities contribute 31% of the total CO2 equivalent fossil fuel emissions, with transportation second at 28%, and Industrial/ Manufacturing third at 15%. Biomass fuels are the second largest contributors to GWP with 11% of the total emissions. Agriculture and Livestock come in third at 6% of North Carolina's total GWP, with Animal Manure Management contributing 77% of all agricultural emissions. Waste Disposal, Treatment and Recovery account for 4% of the total, with Landfills contributing 89% of these emissions. Human emissions account for only 1% of all emissions, while land use change comprises -6%. Reforestation and intensive forest management are allowing nearly 10 million tons of CO2 to be sequestered as biomass each year in N.C.

At the county level, the Piedmont region counties that form the major population crescent within the state, Mecklenburg, Forsyth, Guilford, Durham, and Wake Counties are the largest emitters of all gases that are effected most by anthropogenic activities. Cumberland County in the Coastal Plain is also highly populated and is a large contributor among most GHG emissions. It is thus included in the following summary of county-level results. 25 % of all CO2 for the state is emitted from within the Piedmont Population Crescent counties, plus Cumberland County (note: 6/100 counties produce 1/4 of the state total CO2). Percentages for other gases within these counties are: 11% for CH4, 30 % for ODC, and 16% for N2O. Summary trace gas emissions for these counties include 32% CO, 32% NMVOC, and 18% NOx.