A review of commitment and implementation of sustainable development in higher education: results from a worldwide survey

Consumption-based emission accounting for Chinese cities

This article provides an overview of how generalised multi-regional input–output models can be used for carbon footprint applications. We focus on the relevance and suitability of such evidence to inform decision making. Such an overview is currently missing. Drawing on UK results, we cover carbon footprint applications in seven areas: national emissions inventories and trade, emission drivers, economic sectors, supply chains, organisations, household consumption and lifestyles as well as sub-national emission inventories. The article highlights the multiple uses of generalised multi-regional input–output models for carbon footprinting and concludes by highlighting important avenues for future research.

Input–output analysis and carbon footprinting: an overview of applications

A growing body of literature discusses the CO2 emissions of cities. Still, little is known about emission patterns across density gradients from remote rural places to highly urbanized areas, the drivers behind those emission patterns and the global emissions triggered by consumption in human settlements—referred to here as the carbon footprint. In this letter we use a hybrid method for estimating the carbon footprints of cities and other human settlements in the UK explicitly linking global supply chains to local consumption activities and associated lifestyles. This analysis comprises all areas in the UK, whether rural or urban. We compare our consumption-based results with extended territorial CO2 emission estimates and analyse the driving forces that determine the carbon footprint of human settlements in the UK. Our results show that 90% of the human settlements in the UK are net importers of CO2 emissions. Consumption-based CO2 emissions are much more homogeneous than extended territorial emissions. Both the highest and lowest carbon footprints can be found in urban areas, but the carbon footprint is consistently higher relative to extended territorial CO2 emissions in urban as opposed to rural settlement types. The impact of high or low density living remains limited; instead, carbon footprints can be comparatively high or low across density gradients depending on the location-specific socio-demographic, infrastructural and geographic characteristics of the area under consideration. We show that the carbon footprint of cities and other human settlements in the UK is mainly determined by socio-economic rather than geographic and infrastructural drivers at the spatial aggregation of our analysis. It increases with growing income, education and car ownership as well as decreasing household size. Income is not more important than most other socio-economic determinants of the carbon footprint. Possibly, the relationship between lifestyles and infrastructure only impacts carbon footprints significantly at higher spatial granularity.

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Carbon footprints of cities and other human settlements in the UK

In the absence of federal requirements, how do state- and municipal-level character- istics impact the probability of local policy innovation? This article provides insight by examining the adoption of sub-national climate change mitigation initiatives in the United States. Drawing from literature on policy innovation, a multilevel model is developed to examine the factors influ- encing over 900 U.S. cities to eschew free-rider tendencies and formally commit to greenhouse gas reduction. Multilevel analysis recognizes the nested structure of cities within states and accounts for the shared economic, political, and policy environments experienced by cities within the same state. The level of initiative state governments have taken toward climate protection varies considerably, and the influence of different state policies on related local decisions is empirically examined. Re- sults are consistent with hypotheses derived from the innovation literature and suggest local-level characteristics are the dominant drivers of cities' decisions to commit to climate protection.

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Policy Innovation, Intergovernmental Relations, and the Adoption of Climate Protection Initiatives by U.S. Cities

The case for consumption-based accounting of greenhouse gas emissions to promote local climate action

Investigating the Carbon Footprint of a University - The case of NTNU

Identifying important characteristics of municipal carbon footprints

Summary
Policy makers and practitioners working on local climate action continuously strive for improved greenhouse gas (GHG) inventories to support their mitigation strategies. The provision of such inventories, with the sufficient detail and quality needed, has proven to be challenging. This article describes the application of a carbon-footprint–based (CF-based) calculation tool to Norwegian municipalities. The aim is to improve the local GHG inventory, with a particular focus on the emissions resulting from the provision of services by local governments. Through selective CF analysis, we aim to illustrate the knowledge gained from implementing these tools in local climate action plans and to further contrast CF-based calculations with more traditional production-based accounting. Municipalities report they have revised their understanding of the most important GHG mitigation strategies after implementing this tool.

Hogne Nersund Larsen

Papers

The case for consumption-based accounting of greenhouse gas emissions to promote local climate action

Investigating the Carbon Footprint of a University - The case of NTNU

Identifying important characteristics of municipal carbon footprints

Implementing Carbon‐Footprint‐Based Calculation Tools in Municipal Greenhouse Gas Inventories

Analyzing the carbon footprint from public services provided by counties