Municipal Greenhouse Gas Inventory as a Decision-Support Tool for Climate Governance: Evidence from an Agricultural Municipality in the Philippines

Local governments play a pivotal role in achieving national climate commitments; however, many rural municipalities lack evidence-based greenhouse gas (GHG) inventories to guide climate mitigation planning. This study evaluates the greenhouse gas emission profile of Rizal, Kalinga, Philippines, and demonstrates how municipal-scale inventories can strengthen evidence-based local climate governance through the enhanced Local Climate Change Action Plan (eLCCAP). A descriptive-analytical research design was employed using primary data collected from 744 respondents across households, farms, commercial establishments, institutions, and fuel suppliers, supplemented by municipal records and national activity datasets. Emissions were quantified using the Philippine Greenhouse Gas Inventory Quantification Support Spreadsheet following IPCC-based accounting protocols for Scope 1, Scope 2, and Scope 3 emissions. Results indicate that total municipal emissions reached 7,877.66 tCO₂e, with Scope 1 emissions accounting for 63.13%, Scope 2 for 36.20%, and Scope 3 for 0.67%. Agriculture was identified as the dominant emission sector, primarily driven by livestock and agricultural soils, followed by household and transport energy use and refrigeration and air-conditioning systems. Despite limited industrial activity, indirect electricity consumption represented a substantial share of total emissions, while existing carbon sequestration partially offset agricultural emissions. The inventory further enabled the identification of priority mitigation pathways including climate-smart agriculture, renewable energy adoption, energy-efficient cooling technologies, improved waste management, and institutional strengthening. The study demonstrates that municipal greenhouse gas inventories provide an effective decision-support framework for integrating localized emission evidence into climate policy, enabling rural local governments to prioritize cost-effective mitigation strategies while enhancing resilience and contributing to national decarbonization goals. These findings provide a replicable framework for climate governance in agricultural municipalities across developing countries.