The Green City Index
series has measured the environmental performance of more than 120 cities
throughout the world, with seven more to be included from Australia and New
Zealand in late 2012. The Economist Intelligence Unit chose cities on the basis
of size and importance. Most are capital cities, large population hubs and
business centres.
The Green City Index series
measures cities on approximately 30 indicators across eight to nine categories
depending on the region. It covers CO2 emissions, energy, buildings, land use,
transport, water and sanitation, waste management, air quality and
environmental governance.
About half of the indicators
in each Index are quantitative – usually data from official public sources, for
example, CO2 emissions per capita, water consumption per capita, recycling
rates and air pollutant concentrations. The remainder are qualitative
assessments of the city’s environmental policies – for example, the city's
commitment to sourcing more renewable energy, traffic-congestion-reduction
policies and air quality codes. Measuring quantitative and qualitative
indicators together means the Indexes are based on current environmental
performance as well as the city‘s intentions to become greener.
