Spaces & Flows: Ninth International Conference on Urban and ExtraUrban Studies

Abstract

Nowadays, cities account for half the world’s population and two thirds of global energy demand. In the coming decades, it is estimated that energy use and associated levels of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions will continue unabated in cities especially in developing countries. Therefore, the urban development agenda is fundamental to the improvement and mainstreaming of energy-efficient and low-carbon urban pathways that curtail climate and environmental impacts without hampering urban development and growth. Thus, a better evaluation of urban-energy use is necessary for decision makers at various levels to address energy security, climate change mitigation, and local pollution abatement. Therefore, this paper measures and evaluates energy efficiency and CO2 emissions in Colombian cities as a case study of a developing country with the aim to set appropriate policies and strategies without adverse effects and impacts on economic growth and development. This study applies Data Envelopment Analysis and traditional indicators to measure energy efficiency in Colombian cities. As a complementary step, data panel techniques have been used in order to determine variables that influence the trends of energy efficiency and CO2 emissions. Results from DEA suggest that Colombian cities have an excellent potential to improve energy use and reduce CO2 emissions, and several cities have experienced gains in productivity, growth in efficiency, and improvements in innovation through new technologies. Second stage panel data techniques show that energy prices, economic conditions and production structure have effects in the trends of energy use and CO2 emissions. These results indicate several policy implications with regard to energy conservation, efficient use of energy, and reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, and the importance to increase research on energy patterns in the context of cities, especially those of developing countries.