Whitby may be the worst place for per capita CO2 emissions in the GTA — 13.02 tonnes — but it has plenty of bad company in areas surrounding Toronto, according to a recent report from two Canadian researchers.

“Whitby’s the highest, but if you look at the figures you’ll see it’s really the whole suburbs, it’s basically the 905,’’ says Dan Hoornweg, lead urban specialist at the World Bank. Hoornweg, together with University of Toronto master’s student Lorraine Sugar, co-authored a report called Cities and Greenhouse Gas Emissions: Moving Forward.

The report was published in the Jan. 10 edition of Environment and Urbanization.

The two used data from energy-use figures in the 2001 census and the 2001 Transportation Tomorrow survey, a cooperative compilation put together regularly by local and provincial governments. These were also part of another study published in 2006 that Hoornweg and Sugar used, put together by U of T civil engineering professor Chris Kennedy and study Jared R. VandeWeghe, analyzing residential greenhouse gas emissions in the Toronto census metropolitan area.

Click here for map (pdf)

What it shows may surprise those who think the congested downtown core is the problem. Looking at per capita neighbourhood carbon emissions, the report indicates that suburbanites produce more than downtowners.

“It’s mainly the heating and the transportation that drive the numbers,” says Hoornweg. Bigger personal vehicle use has the most impact, “followed by electricity use and building use — and that’s simply a function of bigger houses,’’ he said. “There are bigger houses in the 905; bigger houses need more heat, more air conditioning, more Christmas lights.’’

The study illustrates the importance of planning for high densities and good access to public transportation, says Hoornweg.

“If you talk to people in Zurich, they go to the opera in the streetcar. It’s just a way of life. The challenge is that Toronto — not any differently, really, from any other Canadian city — has developed a way of life that is highly automobile-dependent.’’

One way to break that dependency may be to promote public transit nodes throughout the GTA and consider tolls on the 400-series highways, says Hoornweg. Tolls are “an incredibly important and useful policy tool to move people toward the direction we want. But obviously nobody wants to pay these tolls, so we have this fight between what everyone knows is good policy, versus people saying ‘Oh, I don’t want to pay any more taxes, I don’t want to pay any more tolls.’’’

He points to the province’s Places to Grow scheme, a 25-year plan that aims to curb sprawl, protect farmland, improve transportation options and revitalize downtowns as “world-class in its intent.”

“It isn’t just because of greenhouse gas emissions; it should, in theory, reduce people’s commute time, help the quality of life ... those sorts of things are interrelated.’’

Even if the area you live in has higher than average emissions, you can do your part for the planet. Lorraine Sugar says measuring your emissions is easy with tools like Toronto-based Zerofootprint’s personal emissions calculator. Using public transit, retrofitting your home for energy efficiency and consuming local products can all help reduce your personal emissions, she adds.

With files from Valerie Hauch

Three neighbourhoods

These GTA neighbourhoods are roughly representative of similar areas throughout the region.

Worst: Whitby

Per capita CO2 emissions: 13.02 tonnes

Biggest culprit: Highway 401. Not only do residents of outer suburbs commute by car; they also drive to the grocery store, school and recreational activities. “People who live farther away in bigger homes that are farther apart from each other . . . use more energy and also produce more emissions,” explains Sugar.

Fastest fix: Carpool, or work from home. If you have a long commute, try to avoid it or lessen the impact. The GO train may become more popular as gas prices rise and more people become aware of their impact on greenhouse gas emissions.

Middle: Etobicoke

Per capita CO2 emissions: 6.62 tonnes

Density issue: Homes are spaced slightly closer together in inner suburbs, says Hoornweg. But Etobicoke has a high proportion of larger single-family homes that require a lot of energy to heat. Other suburban accoutrements, such as pools, lawn mowers and snow blowers, contribute to increased emissions.

Get smart: Inner suburbs usually have transit access, so use it. Home ownership is more common in suburbs than downtown, so residents can retrofit to cut emissions by upgrading furnaces, windows and appliances.

Best: East York

Per capita CO2 emissions: 1.31 tonnes

Why so green? “A lot of people walk to work, or walk to the subway to get to work,” says Hoornweg. Many homes are apartments or smaller dwellings that take less energy to heat. Residents can walk or cycle to many activities.

Not so fast: Living downtown doesn’t mean not worrying about your carbon footprint. How often do you fly? Do you buy foreign produce at the grocery store or locally grown veggies at the market? “Making the decision to drive your car to work or take transit (is) where the individual plays a big role,” says Sugar. Small choices have an impact.

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Around the world

Study author Dan Hoornweg says data from around the world shows denser cities with more access to public transit have lower per capita emissions. The lowest emissions in the world tend to be in developing nations that consume little in fossil fuels. “Generally the less money you have, the less you spend on stuff,” he explains. “The less you spend, the fewer your emissions.”

Rajshahi, Bangladesh: 0.08*

Kathmandu: 0.12

Delhi: 1.50

Rio de Janeiro: 2.10

Mexico City: 4.25

Tokyo: 4.89

Vancouver: 4.9

Paris: 5.2

Helsinki: 7.0

San Francisco: 10.1

Toronto: 11.6

Shanghai: 11.7

Sydney: 20.3

Denver – 21.5

Rotterdam: 29.8

*CO2 emissions, per capita, in tonnes