For those of you who thought the
congested downtown core was the
major cause of greenhouse gas
emissions (GHG), you might be surprised
to hear the new theory put
forward by researchers from U of T
and the World Bank.
According to their research paper,
“Cities and greenhouse gas
emissions: moving forward,” suburbs
emit far more GHG emissions
per capita than the city core.
Whitby had the highest amount
per capita of CO2 emissions in the
GTA — 13.02 tons as opposed to 1.31
tons in East York.
People living in areas close to the
downtown core have a smaller carbon
footprint because of the shorter
distances and greater transport options:
people can walk, bike or take
the subway to work. In the suburbs
where transit isn’t as developed,
people rely more on their cars to get
around. Homes in the suburbs are
also larger and require more energy
to heat.
Data from around the world
show that denser cities with more
access to public transit have lower
per capita emissions. The lowest
emissions in the world come from
developing nations, which consume
fewer fossil fuels.
Lorraine Sugar, a U of T master’s
student who compiled the report
along with World Bank researchers
Dan Hoornweg and Claudia Gomez,
says many cities worldwide have
good practices, and Stockholm,
Sweden is a good
exemplary model.
“Stockholm has
done some really
innovative things
with their urban development.
They’ve
done a lot of mixed
use developments
so people can live
very close to where
they get their groceries
or where
they go to work and
so there’s a lot less automobile use
in Stockholm,” Sugar said.
“There’s a really robust transit
system that people use. One of the
big things in Stockholm as well is
they have a lot of jobs and businesses
and industry outside of the
city and they’ve managed to be one
of the cities where they have people
commuting in both directions.”
This is one aspect in which Toronto
is disadvantaged. Most people
commute to the city centre for work
and go back home in the suburbs at
the end of the day.
“Whereas in Stockholm with
certain satellite cities and certain
suburbs, people are commuting in
both directions. People are going
from the city to the suburbs as well
as people from the suburbs coming
into the city and that’s a really
unique characteristic,” Sugar said.
There is a lot of innovation coming
from Toronto, such as the deep
lake water cooling system. Operating
since 2004 by Enwave Energy
Corporation, the system draws water
from Lake Ontario to cool buildings
in the financial district instead
of using electricity for air conditioning.
The pipes extend five kilometres
into the lake and have a cooling
power of 59,000 tons. It can cool up
to 3,200,000 square meters of office
space. Sugar says a lot of cities are
looking to Toronto as an example
for this particular technology.
The report emphasizes the importance
of cities in lowering GHG emissions.
Cities are now home to more
than half of the world’s population
while occupying
only two per cent of
land. They also consume
70 per cent of
global energy and
produce 70 per cent
of GHG emissions.
“In terms of climate
change and
global issues, cities
have a huge role to
play,” Sugar said.
“It’s in terms of the
emissions they’re
producing, in terms of where most
people live, putting in infrastructure
that’s sustainable.”
Cities are becoming more recognized
for their influence on climate
change. The C40 Sao Paulo summit
was held between May 31 and June
2, where 40 mayors from the world’s
40 largest cities were brought together
to share their experiences in
dealing with climate change.
Bill Clinton and New York mayor
Michael Bloomberg announced a
merger of initiatives in April where
they will work together to address
climate change.
Kevin Sheekey, a former deputy
mayor of New York and principal
political advisor to Bloomberg told
The New York Times that involving
cities is important if we want anything
achieved with climate change.
“We are putting a stake in the
ground around the idea that national
and international governments
have failed, possibly quite
permanently, or at least in a way
that they will not make any serious
progress before it’s too late,”
Sheekey said.
“If you address the problems of
the cities, there will be no need for
China and India to sign onto some
international accord. And thank
God, because that’s not going to get
done. It’s time to say it.”
Sugar says it’s important to be
aware of your carbon footprint in
order to make the right decisions
in the future. For example, when
buying a home, be aware how much
it’s insulated and how efficient the
furnace is. When commuting, use
public transit or carpool. To measure
your emissions, use the Toronto-
based Zerofootprint’s personal
emissions calculator:
