Assessing Greenhouse Gas Emissions in Urban Water Management: Scenarios Analysis for Mitigation

Intae Shim, Eunju Kim, Sook-Hyun Nam, Jae-Wuk Koo, Juwon Lee, Jeongbeen Park, Homin Kye, Yonghyun Shin and Tae-Mun Hwang ()
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Intae Shim: Korea Institute of Civil Engineering and Building Technology, 283 Goyangdar-ro, Ilsanseo-gu, Goyang-si 10223, Gyeonggi-do, Republic of Korea
Eunju Kim: Korea Institute of Civil Engineering and Building Technology, 283 Goyangdar-ro, Ilsanseo-gu, Goyang-si 10223, Gyeonggi-do, Republic of Korea
Sook-Hyun Nam: Korea Institute of Civil Engineering and Building Technology, 283 Goyangdar-ro, Ilsanseo-gu, Goyang-si 10223, Gyeonggi-do, Republic of Korea
Jae-Wuk Koo: Korea Institute of Civil Engineering and Building Technology, 283 Goyangdar-ro, Ilsanseo-gu, Goyang-si 10223, Gyeonggi-do, Republic of Korea
Juwon Lee: Korea Institute of Civil Engineering and Building Technology, 283 Goyangdar-ro, Ilsanseo-gu, Goyang-si 10223, Gyeonggi-do, Republic of Korea
Jeongbeen Park: Korea Institute of Civil Engineering and Building Technology, 283 Goyangdar-ro, Ilsanseo-gu, Goyang-si 10223, Gyeonggi-do, Republic of Korea
Homin Kye: Korea Institute of Civil Engineering and Building Technology, 283 Goyangdar-ro, Ilsanseo-gu, Goyang-si 10223, Gyeonggi-do, Republic of Korea
Yonghyun Shin: Korea Institute of Civil Engineering and Building Technology, 283 Goyangdar-ro, Ilsanseo-gu, Goyang-si 10223, Gyeonggi-do, Republic of Korea
Tae-Mun Hwang: Korea Institute of Civil Engineering and Building Technology, 283 Goyangdar-ro, Ilsanseo-gu, Goyang-si 10223, Gyeonggi-do, Republic of Korea

Sustainability, 2025, vol. 17, issue 5, 1-22

Abstract: Urban water systems are essential infrastructure but significantly contribute to greenhouse gas emissions through their operation. This study analyzed the greenhouse gas emissions of Incheon’s water system and proposed effective reduction strategies. In 2021, total greenhouse gas emissions from Incheon’s water system are 410,407 tCO 2 eq, with the sanitation sector accounting for 82.1% and water supply for 17.9%. N 2 O from wastewater treatment contributes 59.2% of total emissions, followed by CO 2 (36.6%) and CH 4 (4.2%). Sensitivity analysis using system dynamics identified per capita water consumption (LPCD) reduction as the most impactful mitigation strategy, surpassing widely adopted strategies such as renewable energy adoption. Scenario analysis showed that an aggressive policy could reduce emissions by 28.8% by 2050 compared to the baseline scenario. These findings provide a decision-making policy for carbon-neutral urban water management, emphasizing the need for integrated approaches to water management, emphasizing water demand reduction, energy efficiency, and sludge management.

Keywords: urban water system; greenhouse gas; system dynamics modeling; carbon mitigation strategies; ECAM (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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