While cities cover 3% of the earth’s land surface, they create more than 70% of all carbon emissions — mainly from buildings, energy and transportation — while consuming 78% of the world’s primary energy. To keep global temperature increases to 1.5°C or below, cities must achieve net zero emissions by mid-century.
The key to achieving net zero carbon cities is smart city infrastructure that tracks and communicates crucial information — such as power consumption levels — in real time. This is a fundamental step in making the switch from fossil fuels to renewables on the scale necessary to combat climate change.