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Response to Wiedmann
Author(s) -
Mohareb Eugene,
Kennedy Christopher
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
journal of industrial ecology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.377
H-Index - 102
eISSN - 1530-9290
pISSN - 1088-1980
DOI - 10.1111/j.1530-9290.2011.00441.x
Subject(s) - carbon footprint , carbon sink , industrial ecology , climate change , sink (geography) , environmental economics , carbon accounting , business , carbon sequestration , natural resource economics , environmental resource management , environmental planning , environmental science , greenhouse gas , sustainability , economics , ecology , geography , carbon dioxide , cartography , biology
Summary This commentary is prompted by Thomas Wiedmann's “Defining (Urban) Producer and Consumer Sinks” published in this issue. In his article, Wiedmann presents a new framework for categorizing carbon sinks by borrowing practices from carbon emissions accounting and, essentially, proposing a “carbon sink footprint” model for urban inventories. While this is a valuable new concept, we argue that it is difficult to apply accurately given current knowledge and practices in urban life cycle assessment. Instead, a direct versus embodied classification based on where the sequestration service exists, not where the sink is located, is more useful from the perspective of municipal control and influence over creating and managing carbon sinks. This is ultimately important for the development of urban climate change mitigation measures.