The impact of urbanization on Austria’s carbon footprint

Abstract

Urbanization is one of the factors contributing globally to greenhouse gas emissions. Its impact however is not homogeneous across countries. Some studies show that urban populations have a higher carbon footprint due to higher consumption levels, whereas other research suggests that higher population density decreases energy demands and the associated emissions. Due to the importance of collecting in-depth evidence for countries and regions on a case-by-case basis, this article investigates the impact of urbanization on carbon dioxide emissions for Austria as supporting empirical evidence for a high-income economy. The study particularly unpacks profiles of carbon footprints for more than 8000 households located according to three different levels of urbanization: urban, semi-urban and rural. Findings reveal that urban residents in Austria have the lowest Carbon Footprint (CF) of the three groups; this is followed by rural and then semi-urban residents. Overall, the study highlights that urbanization in Austria may represent a relative reduction of emissions in the future due to more compact cities, which should be considered along with other drivers of greenhouse gas emissions in order to achieve national and European climate targets.