Urbanisation And Climate Change: The Implication Of Urbanization And Climate Change

Urbanization and climate change Cities are often blamed for climate change. Sometimes, this is on the basis of estimates that seem to have no supporting evidence. This can be seen in the much-cited suggestion that cities account for 80 per cent of all GHG emissions worldwide. Actually, only around 35 per cent of the world’s GHG emissions are emitted within city boundaries, although city populations account for a higher proportion if emissions are allocated to consumers. In other instances, it seems to be based on an assumption that urbanization will bring higher GHG emissions, the assumption that per capita emissions in urban areas are higher than those in rural areas because of big differences in productive and consumptive behaviors between
Urbanization can be viewed as one of the most serious problems causing climate change in that in general, the more urbanized a nation, the higher the GHG emissions per person. But it can also be viewed as a key part of the solution, as it provides the basis for delinking high standards of living/quality of life from high GHG emissions per person. For the limited range of cities for which GHG emissions inventories have been undertaken, there are very large differences in per capita emissions between cities with high living standards. For instance, Barcelona, widely considered as a city with a high quality of life, has one-fifth of the GHG emissions per person of many US cities. New York City has one-third to one-half of the GHG emissions per person of many other US cities
Indeed, one of the drivers of urbanization is the economic advantages that close proximity provides for a great range of enterprises. The paper in this issue on the Bedding ton Zero Energy Development [12]. Also shows how it is possible to combine high living standards with very low GHG emissions within the home. However, the paper also highlights how GHG emissions per resident are greatly influenced by their choices outside of their homes – for instance, in their use of private automobiles and air travel. If we consider this development from the production perspective, in terms of the GHGs emitted within the housing complex, its performance is very impressive, but if we consider it from the consumption perspective, it would need residents to limit car use and air travel to reduce GHG emissions per person. The relatively low GHG emissions per person in cities such as New York and Barcelona may also be in part because these do not include the GHGs embedded in the imported goods their inhabitants