America's growth spurt will require more energy. But economic development and environmental progress do not need to be in conflict with one another. Indeed, the country is not helpless when it comes to fighting the effects of climate change, according to a report by the Brookings Institution. In fact, metropolitan areas offer greater energy and carbon efficiencies than less populated regions, in large measure because of residential density and good public transport.

To improve on that, more than 800 local officials representing 80 million Americans have signed the U.S. Mayor's Climate Protection Agreement that commits those jurisdictions to reducing their carbon emissions. While that is a good start, the think tank says that metropolitan America will not be able to shrink its carbon footprint without supportive federal policies. Beyond that, it says that commercial and industrial electricity customers must use best available technologies.

"Delay in addressing the flaws in state and federal policy creates lost opportunities," says the Brookings report, called Shrinking the Carbon Footprint of Metropolitan America. "Investments in major new facilities and equipment are often only cost-effective during an upgrade, renovation, or system replacement. If improved technology is not installed at those points, the carbon-intensive status quo can be locked in for decades."

The need for national action to curb carbon emissions is becoming increasingly evident, the report says, noting that federal rules are incomplete at best. However, policymakers have not ignored some of these issues. It's that disagreement persists on many critical matters such as how to proportion of research dollars and tax breaks.

Along those lines, the U.S. Senate recently failed to pass a climate change bill that would have required industry to buy allowances if they pollute more than the allowable limits. The bill will be re-introduced next year.

The goal of the legislation is cut greenhouse gas emissions by roughly 70 percent by the middle of the century. It's all to comport with a United Nations scientific group that said global carbon releases must be reduced by 50 percent to 85 percent by 2050 to avoid the worst-possible consequences of global warming.

Beginning at home, the Brookings report says that the federal government needs to do more to promote public transit and high-quality freight transport. In the buildings sector, it says federal housing policy should create incentives to buy homes in livable communities or near public transit. Utility policies, meanwhile, in traditionally regulated states also foil energy efficiency improvements and low-carbon options.

Synergistic Policies

If the federal government were to address both public and private sector failings, it could spur energy efficiency and carbon reduction across all sectors of the nation's economy. Among the ideas that the think tank says should be implemented are putting a price on carbon to account for the external cost of fossil fuel combustion -- much along the lines of the carbon legislation that just failed to pass the U.S. Senate. It also says that the feds should step up investment in research to increase energy efficiency and low-carbon innovations so that bright ideas come to market much faster.

Residential and commercial buildings account for 39 percent of the carbon emissions in the United States while the transportation sector contribute a third of all such emissions, says the Energy Information Administration. Industry is responsible for 28 percent.

Altogether, carbon emissions in the United States have increased by almost 1 percent each year since 1980. Emissions from the residential, commercial and transportation sectors each rose by more than 25 percent over the past 25 years. Industrial emissions have declined over this same period as the country has moved away from energy-intensive manufacturing and toward a service and knowledge economy, Brookings says.

"As a result, consumers are increasingly the driving force of domestic energy consumption and carbon emissions," writes Marilyn Brown, Frank Southworth and Andrea Sarzynski. They add that residential and commercial buildings and road transportation are expected to dominate energy demand and carbon growth in the future. Total U.S. carbon emissions are projected to grow by 16 percent between 2006 and 2030.

The answer then rests with innovation -- ideas that will both create energy efficiencies and develop sustainable energy sources. It won't be easy, given that the United States comprises nearly 5 percent of the world's population, produces 26 percent of the world's gross domestic product and consumes around 29 percent of the global energy supply.

Major cities, though, are not the villains. Despite housing two-thirds of the nation's population and three-quarters of its economic activity, the 100 largest metropolitan areas emitted just 56 percent of U.S. carbon emissions from highway transportation and residential buildings in 2005, says Brookings. Therefore, the average metro resident in 2005 had a smaller carbon footprint (2.24 metric tons) than the average American (2.60 metric tons). The difference stems mostly from less car travel and less electricity use.

Development patterns and rail transit are key determinates when it comes to carbon emissions. Metropolitan areas tend to be more compact with good public transport. Other factors that influence such emissions include the types of fuels used to generate electricity as well as the weather. Areas with adverse weather conditions that rely on coal power have poorer quality air than those with moderate climate that use natural gas.

The country's economy is destined to expand while its energy needs will grow accordingly. The question then becomes whether that development can occur in an environmentally safe manner. Brookings thinks so and is prodding policymakers to take a more proactive role by crafting federal policies that lead to fewer carbon emissions.

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