Palo Alto City Council
March 2, 2026

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7 Attachment B: Historical Comparison of Palo Alto Citywide GHG Emissions by Sector Sector and Subsector
1990 GHG
emissions
(MT CO2e)
2019 GHG
emissions
(MT CO2e)
2020 GHG
emissions
(MT CO2e)
2021 GHG
emissions
(MT CO2e)
2022 GHG
emissions
(MT CO2e)
2023 GHG
emissions
(MT CO2e)
2024 GHG
emissions
(MT CO2e)
% Change
in 2024
from 1990
% of Total
2024
Emissions
Total Transportation & Mobile Sources 348,757 315,081 238,523 211,403 251,223 252,828 255,0061 -26.9% 64.1% -On-Road Transportation 331,840 293,413 217,279 185,925 221,923 225,387 226,019 -31.9% 56.8% -Airport Emissions 3,096 2,192 1,664 2,641 1,837 1,935 2,369 -23.5% 0.6% -Off-road Vehicles 7,431 14,634 15,029 18,961 20,191 19,129 20,287 173.0% 5.1% -Caltrain Commuter Rail 6,390 4,842 4,552 3,876 7,272 6,377 6,331 -0.9% 1.6% Total Natural Gas (Methane) 194,000 153,509 134,365 135,697 144,996 146,289 127,051 -34.5% 31.9% -Commercial Energy 66,987 53,515 55,676 62,667 66,793 59,537 n/a 15.0% -Industrial Energy 14,373 11,961 12,176 12,677 11,720 9,362 n/a 2.4% -Residential Energy 72,149 68,889 67,846 69,652 67,776 58,152 n/a 14.6% Natural Gas (Methane) Fugitive 4,718 5,009 4,384 4,427 4,709 4,751 4,126 -12.5% 1.0% Total Wastewater-Related Emissions 10,110 2,197 1,857 1,674 2,615 2,463 2,409 -76.2% 0.6% -Wastewater Biosolid Treatment 2 1,606 403 0 0 0 0 0 -100.0% 0% -Wastewater Treatment 380 381 346 86 82 85 n/a 0%
-Wastewater Effluent 8,504 1,005 1,007 915 2,344 2,163 2,077 n/a 0.5% -Wastewater Sludge Composting 409 469 412 185 218 247 -97.1% 0.1% Total Solid Waste Emissions 55,283 6,531 6,191 6,110 6,672 8,130 9,199 -83.4% 2.3% -Organic Waste Composting (ZWED) 0 731 1,154 843 1,142 1,242 1,308 n/a 0.3% -Palo Alto Landfill Gas Flaring 226 281 316 237 233 186 176 -22.1% 0% -Palo Alto Landfill Gas Fugitive 24,325 n/a3 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a -100.0% 0% -Palo Alto Landfill Methane 30,732 5,519 4,721 5,029 5,297 6,702 7,715 -74.9% 1.9% Brown Power Supply (Electricity) 186,000 04 0 0 0 0 0 -100.0% 0% Total GHG Emissions (MT CO2e) 798,868 482,237 385,320 359,312 410,215 414,461 397,791 -50.2% 100% Notes: MT CO2e = metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent. Percentages and MT CO2e may not add to the total due to rounding 1 Based on a preliminary estimate of 2024 Vehicle Miles Travelled (VMT). 2024 Google Environmental Insights Explorer VMT data was unavailable at time of publication. 2 Sludge Incineration. In 2019, the sewage sludge incinerators at the Regional Water Quality Control Plant were replaced with a Sludge Dewatering and Truck Loadout Facility. 3 Not included because the Palo Alto landfill was closed. 4 Since 2013, the City provides carbon free electricity to all customers.