Study Provides Greenhouse-gas Emissions For 100 Cities In 33 Nations
Policymakers need to take a fresh look
at the differences between greenhouse gas emissions
from different cities to identify new opportunities
to mitigate climate change,
says a forthcoming study in the peer-reviewed journal Environment and Urbanization published by Sage Publications and the International Institute for Environment and Development.
The study provides greenhouse gas emissions for over 100 cities in 33 countries and suggests policy tools that city governments can use to take action on climate change.
“Cities worldwide are blamed for most greenhouse gas emissions but many cities have very low emissions, as do many city dwellers in even the most industrialized countries,” says lead author Daniel Hoornweg, lead urban specialist on Cities and Climate Change at the World Bank.
“Differences in production and consumption patterns between cities and citizens mean that it is not helpful to attribute emissions to cities as a whole. Policymakers need a better understanding of the sources of emissions if they are to develop real solutions.”
Hoornweg and colleagues showed that emissions per person per year vary from 15-30 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent in some cities in industrialized countries to less than half a tonne per person per year in various cities in South Asia.
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