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Comparing household greenhouse gas emissions across Canadian cities

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  • Fercovic, Juan
  • Gulati, Sumeet

Abstract

We provide an estimate of the expected direct greenhouse gas emissions for an average Canadian household in 17 Census Metropolitan Areas. We include emissions from the consumption of gasoline, natural gas, and electricity. Higher density is associated with lower gasoline consumption in personal vehicles, cold weather is associated with higher energy consumption for heating, and higher income and family size are associated with overall greater energy use. The average Canadian household produces the lowest greenhouse gas emissions in Montréal, Québec, followed by Vancouver, British Columbia. Highest emissions are in Edmonton, followed by Calgary. The source of energy used matters more than we expected. Despite its inclement weather, Montréal has the lowest emissions because hydropower supplies much of its household energy use (including home heating). Edmonton and Calgary have the highest associated emissions, due to their extreme weather, low density, and coal based electricity supply. The average household across all cities (weighted by population share) experienced a decline in its predicted CO2 emissions from 11.49tonnes per year in 1997 to 9.7tonnes in 2009 (16% over 12years). One of the reasons for this decline is that population growth was higher in cities where emissions fell faster.

Suggested Citation

  • Fercovic, Juan & Gulati, Sumeet, 2016. "Comparing household greenhouse gas emissions across Canadian cities," Regional Science and Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 60(C), pages 96-111.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:regeco:v:60:y:2016:i:c:p:96-111
    DOI: 10.1016/j.regsciurbeco.2016.06.010
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Glaeser, Edward L. & Kahn, Matthew E., 2010. "The greenness of cities: Carbon dioxide emissions and urban development," Journal of Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 67(3), pages 404-418, May.
    2. Marcy Burchfield & Henry G. Overman & Diego Puga & Matthew A. Turner, 2006. "Causes of Sprawl: A Portrait from Space," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, Oxford University Press, vol. 121(2), pages 587-633.
    3. David Albouy & Walter Graf & Ryan Kellogg & Hendrik Wolff, 2016. "Climate Amenities, Climate Change, and American Quality of Life," Journal of the Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, University of Chicago Press, vol. 3(1), pages 205-246.
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    Cited by:

    1. Karunathilake, Hirushie & Hewage, Kasun & Sadiq, Rehan, 2018. "Opportunities and challenges in energy demand reduction for Canadian residential sector: A review," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 82(P3), pages 2005-2016.
    2. Giulio Giovannoni, 2021. "Urban Containment Planning: Is It Effective? The Case of Portland, OR," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(22), pages 1-20, November.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Greenhouse gases; Carbon dioxide; Cities; Urban development; Electricity; Natural gas; Transportation;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • Q4 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Energy
    • R2 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - Household Analysis
    • R3 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - Real Estate Markets, Spatial Production Analysis, and Firm Location

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