Our results highlight the role of older technologies accounting for almost 80% of the emissions of all species.
As a consequence, the MABA exhibits higher specific emissions (ton TJ1) than developed countries, with figures two times higher for criteria pollutants.
This finding indicates the need of systematically updating this inventory as the replacement of most polluting technologies would certainly have a major impact on the emission levels.
Specific emissions (ton km2) confirm the MABA as a concentrated emission focus, as emissions at megacity level are 2-4 orders of magnitude higher than those at country level