Appendix F: Questionnaire guidance on science-based targets
Science-based climate targets are a part of CDP scoring criteria in 2023 and are a key element of the Cities Race to Zero commitment. To ensure that your jurisdiction’s target can be checked for alignment with 1.5°C, you should provide data for the following questions and columns. Reporting this information will help CDP and its partners to support your jurisdiction to update targets where needed, take emissions reduction action in line with your target, and track progress over time.
(0.1) Provide details of your jurisdiction in the table below.
The following columns should be completed:
Current (or most recent) population size (column 6)
Population year (column 7)
Projected population size (column 8)
Projected population year (column 9)
(2.1) Does your jurisdiction have a community-wide emissions inventory to report?
(2.1a) Provide information on and an attachment (in spreadsheet format)/direct link to your main community-wide GHG emissions inventory.
The following columns should be completed:
Main community-wide emissions inventory: attachment (spreadsheet) and/or URL link (with unrestricted access) (column 1)
Year covered by main inventory (column 3)
Boundary of main inventory relative to jurisdiction boundary (column 4)
Population in year covered by main inventory (column 5)
Primary protocol/framework to compile main inventory (column 6)
Tool used to compile main inventory (column 7)
Gases included in main inventory (column 8)
Primary source of emission factors (column 9)
(2.1b) Provide a breakdown of your community-wide emissions by scope. If the inventory has been developed using the Global Protocol for Community Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventories (GPC) you will also be requested to provide a breakdown by sector.
The following columns should be completed:
Sector and/or scope (column 0)
Emissions (metric tonnes CO2e) (column 1)
To be able to check your jurisdiction’s target for alignment with a science-based target you should provide Emissions (metric tonnes CO2e) for at least the following sectors:
- Total Scope 1 emissions (excluding generation of grid-supplied energy)
- Total Scope 2 emissions
If you have no emissions to report, please select a notation key to explain why. To be able to check your jurisdiction’s target for alignment with a science-based target you should provide notation keys for at least the following sectors:
- Total Scope 1 emissions (excluding generation of grid-supplied energy)
- Total Scope 2 emissions
(2.1c) Provide a breakdown of your community-wide emissions in the format of the Common Reporting Framework.
The following columns should be completed:
Sectors and sub-sectors (column 0)
Direct emissions (metric tonnes CO2e) (column 1)
If you have no direct emissions to report, please select a notation key to explain why (column 2)
Indirect emissions from the use of grid-supplied electricity, heat, steam and/or cooling (metric tonnes CO2e) (column 3)
If you have no indirect emissions to report, please select a notation key to explain why (column 4)
(2.1d) Provide a breakdown of your community-wide emissions by sector.
The following columns should be completed:
Sector (column 1)
Sub-sector (column 2)
Scope (column 3)
Emissions (metric tonnes CO2e) (column 4)
(5.1) Does your jurisdiction have an active greenhouse gas emission reduction target(s) in place? Please include long-term and/or mid-term targets. If no active GHG emissions reduction target is in place, please indicate the primary reason why.
(5.1a) Provide details of your emissions reduction target(s). Please report both long-term and mid-term targets, if applicable.
For your jurisdiction’s target to be considered a science-based target, you should report:
- A long-term (by 2050 latest) net zero target covering jurisdiction-wide, Scope 1 and 2 emissions.
- A 1.5°C-aligned mid-term (by 2030 latest) target covering jurisdiction-wide, Scope 1 and 2 emissions in line with halving global emissions by 2030. For more information on how to set a science-based mid-term target, please refer to the Science-Based Target Network’s Guide for Cities.
The following columns should be completed:
Select a reference ID for the target (column 1)
Target type (column 2)
Boundary of target relative to jurisdiction boundary (column 3)
To be considered a science-based target your jurisdiction’s target should cover at least the full jurisdiction boundary. Valid selections in column 3 include:
- Same - covers entire jurisdiction and nothing else; or
- Larger - covers the whole jurisdiction and adjoining areas, please explain additions
Emissions sources covered by target (column 4)
To be considered a science-based target your jurisdiction’s target should cover at least Scope 1 and 2 emissions. Valid selections in column 4 include:
- Target covers all the emissions sources which are included in the jurisdiction inventory;
- Target covers all the BASIC (GPC) emissions sources which are included in jurisdiction inventory;
- Target covers all the BASIC (GPC) emissions sources plus other indirect emissions (Scope 3) included in jurisdiction inventory, please specify other indirect emissions covered;
- Target covers direct emissions (Scope 1) and indirect emissions from grid-supplied energy (Scope 2) included in jurisdiction inventory; or
- Only energy emissions sources included in jurisdiction inventory are covered by target. Please note, this option is only valid if you select the Tyndall Centre science-based target methodology in column 17.
Are carbon credits currently used or planned to be used to achieve this target? (column 5)
Percentage of target to be met using carbon credits generated from outside jurisdiction or target boundary (column 6)
For example, for a net zero target, provide the percentage of the target that will be achieved through carbon credits.
Year target was established (column 7)
Covered emissions in year target was established (metric tonnes CO2e) (column 8)
Base year (column 9)
Covered emissions in base year (metric tonnes CO2e) (column 10)
Emissions intensity figure in base year (metric tons CO2e per capita or GDP) (column 11)
Target year (column 12)
Estimated business as usual emissions in target year (metric tonnes CO2e) (column 13)
Percentage of emissions reduction (including offsets and carbon dioxide removal) (column 14)
The percentage emission reduction target you report for your jurisdiction should include any planned offsets and carbon dioxide removals. For example, if a jurisdiction is reporting a net zero target, this should be reported as 100%.
Net emissions in target year (after offsets and carbon dioxide removal) (metric tonnes CO2e) (column 15)
Report your jurisdiction’s net emissions in the target year here, after emissions offsetting or carbon dioxide removals have been applied. For example, for a net zero target, this would be 0 metric tonnes CO2e.
Projected population in target year (column 16)
Specify if target is considered a science-based target (SBT) and the SBT methodology it aligns to (column 17)
The following three methodologies listed below have been thoroughly evaluated and tested and can be used to set science-based targets in line with a 1.5C scenario:
- One Planet City Challenge (OPCC) – World Wildlife Fund for Nature (WWF)
- Deadline 2020 – C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group
- Tyndall Centre Methodology – Tyndall Centre
These methodologies are backed by the latest science, are appropriately comprehensive and take account of equity. To learn more about the listed methodologies above you can refer to the Science-Based Target Network’s Guide for Cities.