Estimates of the Carbon Capture Potential in Urban Parks and Vehicle CO₂ Emissions in Cuenca, Ecuador

Nowadays, the adverse effects of global warming are evident due to the increase in greenhouse gas emissions, with urban areas being one of the areas that emits large amounts of CO₂; however, urban trees act as an important sink for carbon within the city; so in this work, the estimates of the potential of carbon capture in 28 urban parks and vehicular CO₂ emissions in Cuenca, in a study area comprising 64.51 ha. The non-destructive method is applied which, from the diameter to the chest height (DAP) and tree height, estimates carbon sequestration. The capture potential is 11,418.88 t and an average capture of 8.81 kg CO₂/m²/year. On the other hand, the estimated CO₂ emissions from fuel consumption in Cuenca were a total of 828.81 Gg of CO₂. In reference to the economic valuation, in the compliance market, the SENDECO2 entity that pays $ 24.81 per ton of CO₂ would generate an income of $ 283,302.5 and in the voluntary market an income of $ 229,176.93 with the CDM Gold Standard entity that pay $ 20.07 per ton. It is concluded that the 28 sampled parks can mitigate 1.37% of the total CO₂ emissions emitted by the car park, demonstrating the importance of this environmental service and that the sale of carbon generates a relevant benefit, demonstrating the feasibility of carbon markets.