Fossil CO 2 emissions from warehouse and distribution centers in Southern California’s Inland Empire

Datos Bibliográficos

ID15544705
AutoresIan Bachant (University of California, Irvine, autor de correspondencia), Ian J N Bachant (0009-0002-2451-6346), Guaciara M Santos (0000-0003-1755-6390), Guaciara Santos (University of California, Irvine), Heather A Haines (0000-0003-0019-4151, University of Nevada, Reno), Francesca M Hopkins (University of California, Riverside), C I Czimczik (0000-0002-8251-6603, University of California, Irvine)
Año2026
Volumen21
Número6
Páginas064002-064002
Fecha de publicación2026-03-04
Peer ReviewedSí
Open AccessSí
TipoARTICLE
RevistaEnvironmental Research Letters (JOURNAL)
Identificadores de la revistaISSN: 1748-9326 • E-ISSN: 1748-9326
EditorialIOP Publishing (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1088/1748-9326/ae4d63
OpenAlexW7133523507
IdiomaEN
Referencias citadas40

The rise of e-commerce has led to a rapid expansion of warehouses and distribution centers (W&DCs). However, impacts of e-commerce logistics, including emissions of fossil fuel-derived carbon dioxide (ffCO 2 ) on urban greenhouse gas inventories, remain poorly quantified. Here, we developed a 40 year tree-ring radiocarbon ( 14 C) record to isolate ffCO 2 enhancements within a W&DC cluster and in the urban background of Southern California’s Inland Empire, a region of concentrated W&DC growth during this period. Our results reveal elevated ffCO 2 concentrations (15–23 ppm) before 1984 in the residential tree, followed by a shift to lower levels that may reflect both the tree’s establishment history (likely transplanted from a more polluted environment during this period) and broader regional air quality improvements. Post-1984, urban background emissions increased alongside population growth. Strikingly, the W&DC cluster exhibited 12 ppm higher ffCO 2 than the urban background from 2000 to 2019, representing a threefold enhancement. This ffCO 2 enhancement occurred during a period when local traffic volume doubled (from approximately 4500–11 000 average daily trips between 2007 and 2023) at arterial roads directly serving the W&DC cluster and a 30% increase in traffic volumes at the nearby I-215/SR-60 interchange, the main transportation hub connecting the cluster to the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach. Our findings demonstrate that tree-ring 14 C records effectively detect W&DC emissions in complex urban environments and highlight the need for additional W&DC emissions observation and regulation. Future work should identify whether fleet modernization, traffic management or dwell-time controls would be most effective for achieving carbon neutrality objectives

Air quality index · Cluster (spacecraft · Distribution (mathematics · Fossil fuel · Greenhouse gas · Population · Port (circuit theory · TRIPS architecture · Work (physics · Atmospheric and Environmental Gas Dynamics · COVID-19 impact on air quality · Vehicle emissions and performance