City Scale Vs. Regional Scale Co-Benefits of Climate and Sustainability Policy: An Institutional Collective Action Analysis

Abstract

Multiple levels of government must play complementary roles in mitigating climate changes [1,2], but city level engagement and action are particularly critical for two reasons. First, urban areas are the primary source of GHG emissions worldwide. For example, in the US, urban areas hold over three-fourths of the population and account for about 80% of global primary energy use and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions [3].