Understanding local CO2 emissions reduction targets

Local commitments on climate change are often spread by international associations and city networks. The most recent initiative at the European level was the signing of the ‘Covenant of Mayors’. The Covenant of Mayors provides information about several indicators related to the emissions reduction plans of those cities that have signed the Covenant. A cross-sectional regression analysis is made between the planned emissions reductions and the basic indicators analysed. Results show that the predicted reductions are greater in more contaminated cities and with a greater energy use per capita. However, the effort of the contaminated cities is less than proportional. Energy efficiency is focused on the containment of electrical and H&C consumption. The planned reductions are greater in those cities which have a greater percentage of energy consumption in the transport sector. No significant differences are seen between the emissions reductions planned by the Northern and Southern cities. Energy consumption per capita is smaller in the large cities, with emissions also tending to be more reduced, which suggests that urbanization can generate agglomeration benefits that are environmentally effective. The greater consumption of renewables is seen in small municipalities.