10.1021/es4034364.s001
Christopher Jones
Christopher
Jones
Daniel M. Kammen
Daniel M.
Kammen
Spatial
Distribution of U.S. Household Carbon Footprints
Reveals Suburbanization Undermines Greenhouse Gas Benefits of Urban
Population Density
American Chemical Society
2014
household carbon footprints
U.S
household Carbon Footprints
household greenhouse gas emissions
Urban Population DensityWhich municipalities
population density exhibits
tCO
HCF
Suburbanization Undermines Greenhouse Gas Benefits
2e
population density
greenhouse gas mitigation efforts
2014-01-21 00:00:00
Journal contribution
https://acs.figshare.com/articles/journal_contribution/Spatial_Distribution_of_U_S_Household_Carbon_Footprints_Reveals_Suburbanization_Undermines_Greenhouse_Gas_Benefits_of_Urban_Population_Density/2330434
Which municipalities and locations
within the United States contribute
the most to household greenhouse gas emissions, and what is the effect
of population density and suburbanization on emissions? Using national
household surveys, we developed econometric models of demand for energy,
transportation, food, goods, and services that were used to derive
average household carbon footprints (HCF) for U.S. zip codes, cities,
counties, and metropolitan areas. We find consistently lower HCF in
urban core cities (∼40 tCO<sub>2</sub>e) and higher carbon
footprints in outlying suburbs (∼50 tCO<sub>2</sub>e), with
a range from ∼25 to >80 tCO<sub>2</sub>e in the 50 largest
metropolitan areas. Population density exhibits a weak but positive
correlation with HCF until a density threshold is met, after which
range, mean, and standard deviation of HCF decline. While population
density contributes to relatively low HCF in the central cities of
large metropolitan areas, the more extensive suburbanization in these
regions contributes to an overall net increase in HCF compared to
smaller metropolitan areas. Suburbs alone account for ∼50%
of total U.S. HCF. Differences in the size, composition, and location
of household carbon footprints suggest the need for tailoring of greenhouse
gas mitigation efforts to different populations.