City dwellers have smaller carbon footprints, study finds

The image of cities is often traffic-clogged, polluted and energy-guzzling, but a new study has shown that city dwellers have smaller carbon footprints than national averages.

The report by London-based International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED) looked at 11 major cities on four continents, including London, Tokyo, New York and Rio de Janeiro.
It found per capita greenhouse gas emissions for a Londoner in 2004 were the equivalent of 6.2 tonnes of CO2, compared with 11.19 for the UK average.

The rural northeast of England, Yorkshire and the Humber, were singled out for having the highest footprints per capita in the UK.

In the US, New Yorkers register footprints of 7.1 tonnes each, less than a thrid of the US average of 23.92 tonnes.

The use of public transport and denser housing are two of the reasons for urbanites’ comparatively low carbon footprints, the authors said, adding that the design of cities significantly affects their residents’ emissions.

Guardian