News ReleaseCity of Long Beach Public Information Office
333 W. Ocean Blvd, Long Beach, CA 90802

5/29/2008

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
PRESS RELEASE #CM:052908
Subject :

Los Angeles-Long Beach-Santa Ana Metropolitan Area Ranked 2nd in Nation for Smallest Carbon Footprint
Contact :Suzanne Frick, Assistant City Manager    570.6811
The Los Angeles-Long Beach-Santa Ana region has the second-smallest carbon footprint among the 100 largest metropolitan areas in the United States, according to a report released today by the Washington, D.C.-based non-profit research organization, Brookings Institution.

The region improved its overall ranking in 2005 from 2000, when it had the third-smallest carbon footprint among large metropolitan areas, according to the report by the Brookings Institution’s Metropolitan Policy Program, titled Shrinking the Carbon Footprint of Metropolitan America.

"A small carbon footprint underscores the City’s deep commitment to environmental stewardship and our leadership role in sustainability," said Mayor Bob Foster. "However, our work is not finished.  We are working diligently on improving air quality and decreasing greenhouse gas emissions to improve the quality of life throughout the community."

The City of Long Beach has several environmental programs that help to lower the region’s overall carbon footprint, including a Green Building Policy for Municipal Buildings, an interim Green Building Policy for Private Development, Green Port and Green Airport initiatives. Other environmental programs include a Construction and Demolition Debris Recycling Program, and extensive water conservation programs through the Long Beach Water Department.  The City is also a member of the California Climate Action Registry and The Climate Registry, which will help the City to calculate and further reduce the carbon footprint of City facilities and operations.  In addition, the recently established Sustainable City Commission is working toward developing a Sustainable City Plan to guide future sustainability efforts throughout the City. 

"This ranking serves as a baseline to which we can compare the effects of our initiatives like green building, energy efficiency, and transit-oriented development," said Assistant City Manager Suzanne Frick.  "The City of Long Beach is incorporating strategies to use less energy and less water, generate less solid waste, generate less pollution and greenhouse gases, while planting more trees, improving water quality in our bays and rivers, increasing and improving access to open space and maintaining a healthy community."

In 2005, the per capita Los Angeles-Long Beach-Santa Ana metropolitan area carbon footprint was 1.413 metric tons.  In first place is Honolulu, HI with 1.356 metric tons of carbon per capita. The Lexington-Fayette, KY, region was last, with 3.455 metric tons of carbon per capita, among the 100 largest cities.

On a per-capital level, the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Santa Ana region’s carbon footprint was 37 percent lower than the average of the 100 largest cities, and 44 percent lower than the average American’s carbon footprint. 

A carbon footprint is a measure of the amount of greenhouse gas, including carbon dioxide, caused by activities such as driving a vehicle or powering a utility plant. Carbon dioxide is the most prevalent greenhouse gas and a major contributor to global warming. 

Shrinking the Carbon Footprint of Metropolitan America is the most comprehensive study of its kind, and calculates the partial carbon footprints based on carbon emissions from transportation and residential energy consumption in 2000 and in 2005.  The data give a good picture of two major sources of emissions from metropolitan areas around the country and allow a comparison of data among different metropolitan areas. According to the Brookings Institution, the study provides a basis for identifying the pricing, land use, and other policy changes that are needed to reduce the energy consumption and carbon emissions of metro America.

In addition to the rankings, major findings of the report include:

  • Large metropolitan areas are more carbon efficient than the nation as the whole
  • Carbon emissions rose more slowly in metropolitan areas than in the rest of the country
  • Per capita footprints varied widely throughout the metropolitan areas
  • Development patterns and availability of rail transit play an important role in carbon emissions—denser areas with efficient rail transit have smaller carbon footprints
  • The difference in carbon intensity of electricity generation, electricity prices, and weather in the metropolitan areas effect carbon emissions.

"Because two-thirds of us live in the nation’s largest metro areas and nearly three-quarters of economic activity takes place there, large metro areas account for most of the greenhouse gas emissions in this country," said Bruce Katz, a Brookings vice president and director of its Metropolitan Policy Program. "For that reason, metropolitan America will play a critical role in the nation’s push to restrain its emissions. Fortunately, many metro areas offer major advantages for doing that."

For more information, visit: www.brookings.edu/metro.

###