Jul. 6--Columbia has a long way to go to reach the lofty goals laid out in the Kyoto Protocol.

This week, city council members received a staff-generated report showing that between 2000 and 2005, total carbon dioxide emissions in the city rose by 9.54 percent. In 2005, public and private transportation, waste disposal and the production of energ used in the city released 2.91 million tons of CO2 into the air. The city signed onto the Kyoto Protocol in 2006, joining a group of what has grown to more than 500 cities nationwide that embrace the international standards. The United States as a country has not joined the treaty. Kyoto asks that signatory governments reduce their carbon dioxide emissions by 7 percent from 1990 levels, which are typically much lower than today's.

Columbia has no reliable data going back that far, so it will peg its goals on the 2000 figures. Based on national averages, a city Columbia's size should only burn 1.88 million tons of CO2, but factoring in the entire metropolitan population -- all of Boone County -- the figure rises to 2.98 million tons. To comply with Kyoto, the city will need to pull off a quick reduction of carbon emissions, which experts say have steadily risen because of population growth and general apathy. City leaders say they aren't surprised at the high carbon figures and aren't daunted by the task of reversing them.

"That increase is exactly what you would expect if you took no action to change anything with Columbia's growth being what it is," Fourth Ward Councilman Jerry Wade said. "The real value of" the report "is it gives us a baseline that we can use to measure the impacts of the things we do." During the six-year period that ended in 2005, Columbia's metropolitan population grew by 4.8 percent according to U.S. Census figures, and carbon emissions rose at a rate nearly double that. Columbia Water and Light Director Dan Dasho, whose office compiled the report, said most of the work can't be done through government directives.

"The big thing people need to take away from this report is to take action at home," he said. "You know, yo r mother was right -- turn off that light when you leave the room, and also convert to compact fluorescent lights, improve your air conditioner efficiency, insulate your windows -- these are all things people can do at home." There are also community prescriptions. The report lists a number of ideas including renewable energy, carbon offsets and promoting public transportation. The report also floats the idea of placing stricter standards on rental property. More than half of the property in Columbia is rental property, according to the report.

It suggests that making landlords comply with such regulations as federal Energy St r home building standards would greatly reduce emissions. Energy Star homes are fitted with such things as high-performance windows, thick insulation and tightly sealed ducts. Dasho said city staff will wait for marching orders from the city council on how to reduce emissions. Faced with less-than-rosy numbers, the staff pointed to some successful initiatives. Since 2004 the city has persuaded an average of 3,000 customers annually to switch from incandescent light bulbs to energy-efficient, compact fluorescent bulbs through he "Change a Light" program.

The more efficient bulbs last seven years, lower electric bills and put less strain on the environment. Tina Worley, the city's utility services manager, also pointed to the "Tree Power" program, which over the past 10 years has planted 500 trees a year to provide shade and insulation that can help reduce homeowners' electric bills. And some say the fact that the report is getting attention at all is a victory. "I think there is a change in attitude. The debate is no longer: Is global warming real? And is it happening?' " said Chris Hayday, energy activist with the Osage Chapter of the Sierra Club.

"Right now the debate is: How bad is it going to be, and what an we do?' "