Description
Climate Change is one of the most pressing issues of our time. The best way to measure and mitigate the greenhouse gas emissions causing climate change is subject to debate. There are two competing methodologies available to governments tasked with measuring and reducing emissions. The production-based approach measures the emissions of various economic sectors within a defined geographic area. A newer, alternative, consumption-based approach aspires to track life-cycle emissions from the goods and services purchased by consumers within a given region. The City of San Diego is currently developing a Climate Mitigation and Adaptation Plan that details the City's production-based greenhouse gas inventory and the corresponding mitigation measures to combat emissions in the region. This thesis explores San Diego's agricultural sector to illustrate the conceptual and practical differences between the two approaches. I argue that consumption-based greenhouse gas emissions accounting and policy recommendations can complement the current production-based approach in place in San Diego.
