What is the urban carbon footprint and why is it important that geographers and policy makers/political leaders have knowledge and understanding of it? (2024)

The urban carbon footprint is the total set of greenhouse gas emissions emitted from a particular urban area, produced through activities such as primary footprint processes, eg. burning fossil fuels and cor use, electricity generation, and secondary footprint processes, eg. the production of goods and services and the distribution to bring them to the point of sale. In general the carbon footprint tends to be higher in more developed urban areas, as with development, private car ownership and disposable income increase dramatically, eg. between 1960 and 2000, the percentage of UK households without a car fell from 39.5% to 27.4%, subsequently increasing the amount of fuel like petrol and diesel used, contributing to total carbon footprint. Carbon footprints play a vital role in policy decisions due to the negative impact of global warming as a result of increased carbon emissions, and are measured in tonnes of CO2. Carbon footprint analysis can identify the sources of the largest carbon emissions, allowing for the formulation of effective plans to reduce them. Such policies include congestion charges in cities, eg. central London as of 2003 introduced a congestion charge of £11.50 during weekdays between 07:00am and 18:00pm and cycle routes, for example Zurich, Switzerland. Political leaders are already showing dedication to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, for example, in 2015, 195 countries pledged to do so as part of the international climate change agreement.