Progress in Energy and Carbon Management in Large U.S. Metropolitan Areas

AbstractMore than 1000 cities in the United States have signed the Mayor's Climate Protection Agreement, yet few have created comprehensive estimates of their energy consumption and carbon emissions footprints. In this paper, we provide estimates of both of these measures for residential and commercial buildings in the 100 largest metropolitan areas in the U.S. over the 2000-2010 period. This tracks the progress towards sustainable development in major urban areas nationally, identifying leaders and laggards, as well as opportunities for improvement. This research also offers real-world policy relevance for energy efficiency efforts in the urban areas where the vast majority of U.S. GDP is produced