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Cities and greenhouse gas emissions: moving forward / Hoornweg, D., Sugar, L., Trejos Gomez, C. L.current, Environment and Urbanization, 23(1), April 2011http://eau.sagepub.com/content/23/1/207.abstractCities  are blamed for the majority of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. So too  are more affluent, highly urbanized countries. If all production-and  consumption-based emissions that result from lifestyle and purchasing  habits are included, urban residents and their associated affluence  likely account for more than 80 per cent of the world’s GHG emissions.  Attribution of GHG emissions should be refined. Apportioning  responsibility can be misguided, as recent literature demonstrates that  residents of denser city centres can emit half the GHG emissions of  their suburban neighbours. It also fails to capture the enormous  disparities within and across cities as emissions are lowest for poor  cities and particularly low for the urban poor. (© Sage)This paper presents a detailed analysis of per capita GHG emissions  for several large cities and a review of per capita emissions for 100  cities for which peer-reviewed studies are available. This highlights  how average per capita GHG emissions for cities vary from more than 15  tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (tCO2e) (Sydney, Calgary, Stuttgart  and several major US cities) to less than half a tonne (various cities  in Nepal, India and Bangladesh). The paper discusses where GHG emissions  arise and where mitigation efforts may be most effective. It  illustrates the need to obtain comparable estimates at city level and  the importance of defining the scope of the analysis. Emissions for  Toronto are presented at a neighbourhood level, city core level and  metropolitan area level, and these are compared with provincial and  national per capita totals. This shows that GHG emissions can vary  noticeably for the same resident of a city or country depending on  whether these are production- or consumption-based values. The  methodologies and results presented form important inputs for policy  development across urban sectors. The paper highlights the benefits and  drawbacks of apportioning GHG emissions (and solid waste generation) per  person. A strong correlation between high rates of GHG emissions and  solid waste generation is presented. Policies that address both in  concert may be more effective as they are both largely by-products of  lifestyles. (© Sage)