es4034364_si_001.pdf (1.78 MB)
Spatial Distribution of U.S. Household Carbon Footprints Reveals Suburbanization Undermines Greenhouse Gas Benefits of Urban Population Density
journal contribution
posted on 2014-01-21, 00:00 authored by Christopher Jones, Daniel M. KammenWhich 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 tCO2e) and higher carbon
footprints in outlying suburbs (∼50 tCO2e), with
a range from ∼25 to >80 tCO2e 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.