Greenhouse Gas Emissions
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The RSC handbook: Helping regions towards low-carbon development
11 Jan 2012Three years have passed since the Regions for Sustainable Change (RSC) partnership was launched, and in that time considerable experience and knowledge have been gathered, new materials have been produced, and many lessons have been learned by the partners and the project team. The final RSC output Building a Low-Carbon Economy: A handbook for European regions summarises the work of the 12 partners, providing regions with comprehensive information and guidance for moving towards low-carbon development.
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Energy as a component of Agenda 21 – Helsinki, FI
31 Dec 2010The Helsinki Agenda 21 process is designed as a long approach in learning participative methods involving all the municipal bodies together with a large number of citizen and professional organizations together with private persons and other representatives of society. The goal of this process is the adoption of a detailed long-term strategy Action Plan for the town in the area of sustainable development.
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Driving and the Built Environment U.S. cities
05 Nov 2009Eighty percent of the U.S. population lives in metropolitan areas but population and employment continue to decentralize within regions, and density levels continue to decline at the urban fringe. Suburbanisation is along-standing trend that reflects the preference of many Americans for living in detached single-family homes, made possible largely through the mobility provided by the automobile and an extensive highway network. Yet these dispersed, automobile-dependent development patterns have come at a cost, consuming vast quantities of undeveloped land; increasing the nation’s dependence on petroleum and increasing greenhouse gas emissions that contributeto global warming. The primary purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between the built environment and motor vehicle travel in the United States and to assess whether greenhouse gas emissions could be reduced through changes in the design of development patterns.
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Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Global Cities
23 Oct 2009Cities around the world are showing concern for their greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The paper 'Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Global Cities' explores the GHG emissions of ten major cities. It shows that emissions differ greatly between cities. While Barcelona has relatively low per capita emissions, the North American city of Denver, emits a significantly higher amount. According to the researcher, the differences in GHG emissions can largely be explained by geophysical and technical factors. In order to exchange successful methods to reduce greenhouse gas emissions worldwide, the researchers encourage the exchange of best practices between cities.
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Cities' contribution to global warming often overstated
08 Dec 2008Cities are often blamed for generating most of the world's greenhouse gas emissions. However, according to a recent paper by David Satterthwaite, the contribution of cities to global warming is often overstated. Satterthwaite claims that the contribution from agriculture, heavy industries and high-consumption households in this respect is largely understated. He also stresses that it is not cities that produce gas emissions, but rather individuals, enterprises and institutions within these cities. "It is these producers and consumers that have to change if global greenhouse gas emissions are to fall", Satterthwaite argues.
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Drive without polluting – Brussels, BE
16 Apr 2007Since it is a major national and international administrative centre, the number of commuters in Brussels has increased by 100% in 20 years.
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Climate change – Albertslund, DK
12 Apr 2007For almost twenty years the town of Albertslund has been very concerned about the impact of atmospheric pollutant emissions on the environment. To help plan its actions, the town has drawn up its Green Account, an inventory of energy consumption and pollutant emissions by neighbourhood.
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Climate Change - SE
12 Apr 2007The Challenging Communities is a project rolled out in 1998 by the Swedish Society for Nature Conservation (SSNC). The 3-year long project was designed to enable an exchange of ideas and experiences between the participating municipalities to help them reduce their dependence on fossil fuels.