Socioeconomic conditions and fossil fuel CO2 in the Metropolitan Area of Rio de Janeiro

Abstract

Worldwide monitoring of fossil fuel carbon dioxide (FFCO2) has been fragmented, and mostly devoted to developed countries. Here we compare a previously published FFCO2 dataset with socio-economic characteristics in order to better tailor FFCO2 urban point-sources for a megacity of the Global South, the Metropolitan Area of Rio de Janeiro (MARJ), Brazil. Evaluations were performed by superimposing maps of the FFCO2 measurements on urban data acquired from the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics, the latest Origin-Destination Survey of the MARJ, and correlation and regression analyses between FFCO2 and socioeconomic variables. While we confirmed that population density and the transportation sector are important drivers of FFCO2 concentrations, the centrality of urban activities within MARJ also creates undesirable clustered zones (e.g., the city centers and the main intercity bridge). At the intra-urban scale, both high- and low-income residents play important roles in FFCO2 levels. For instance, higher-income populations tend to produce more carbon pollution at their own residential areas, where most urban activities are located. Low FFCO2 levels were found in low-income areas with poor infrastructure. However, distance from the city center, age distribution, job availability, lack of basic services, and car ownership force low-income populations to commute through high-traffic areas, adding high FFCO2 levels to the same already clustered places. By integrating FFCO2 monitoring with many socioeconomic variables, we believe that we capture its spatial distribution as well as better understand the causes of its emission patterns. Therefore, future CO2 monitoring and assessment studies conducted in megacities can benefit from the insights and discussions presented in this study.