Abstract

The restricted environments include large urban areas and US states. This work tests the IPAT parameterization, as applied to fossil fuels induced climate change, in restricted environments with an emphasis on income and energy use. IPAT (Impact = Population x Affluence x Technology) is often seen as tautological but has served as a useful starting point for the quantification of the driving forces for environmental impact in general and for climate changes in particular. The often used tautological linear parameterization is not the only feasible way to separate the contributing variables, but it was found to be appropriate for sovereign states. Testing in different environments is important for policy makers because it might help in policy formulation to maximize the minimization of advert environmental impacts. The results show surprising deviation in presenting the data in their intensive and extensive forms which facilitates differentiation of contributions due to population increase and changes in per capita energy consumption.