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Tampa's carbon footprint rivals that of cities twice its size, and is expected to get even bigger unless actions are taken to reduce the city's greenhouse gas emissions.
That's according to a Tribune analysis of other cities and a recently completed study estimating the city's 2009 emissions of carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide – the three main gases contributing to climate change.
Sources of the greenhouse gas emissions include transportation, electricity and natural gas, landscaping, water and sewer pumping and treatment and solid waste disposal.
The report breaks down the city's emissions by those produced by the community as a whole and those produced from municipal government operations.
The analysis shows that community-wide carbon dioxide emissions were approximately 8.9 million metric tons in 2009, joining urban centers such as New York City and Baltimore as high emitters.
About 95 percent of Tampa's emissions came from gasoline, coal and other fossil fuels used in energy production and transportation.
"That's a shocking number," said Christian Wells, an assistant professor of anthropology at the University of South Florida and director of the university's Office of Sustainability. "I'm a bit surprised at the amount that the Tampa community, as a whole, is emitting."
For the entire article, visit the Tampa Tribune.
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