The debate about cities being an environmental threat is not new. During the Industrial Revolution, cities were the epitome of environmental devastation, dirty places where people crowded in unhygienic conditions and worked in filthy factories. Cities brought with them jobs and prosperity, but environmentally perfect they were not.
The connection between cities and environmental degradation, however, is false. Today, the urban dweller releases the least amount of CO2. New Yorkers for example release a third as much CO2 as the average American. The same pattern is found in other major cities like Barcelona, ??Toronto, Tokyo and London.
This is also true for Sweden. A study by the World Wildlife Fund revealed that in municipalities classified as ‘urban’ or ‘large cities, inhabitants released 15 percent less CO2 than their rural counterparts. This is partly due to smaller living areas, energy efficient apartment buildings, and access to public transportation.
Despite the city dweller’s relatively eco-friendly lifestyle, it is still in the city that has the greatest scope for further improvement. The reason is that even small reductions in emissions per person can lead to aggregate decreases due to a large population.
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