The Most Carbon-Conscious Cities in the World

Emissions-free transportation zones, planting trees, encouraging bicycle use and powering utilities with renewable energy are among the easiest ways for cities to go green.

- EILEEN FALKENBERG-HULL

Eco-conscious policy makers in some of the world's largest cities are pushing further, aiming for carbon neutrality-the state of net zero carbon emissions, in which offsets equal carbon production. To achieve this, they're putting new plans into action that take the goals of the 2015 Paris Climate Accords into account and making public the dates they have set to achieve them.

01 Coastal Carbon Reducer

VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA

The 2011 Greenest City Adoption Plan lays out 10 goals and 17 targets for Canada's biggest city on the Pacific Ocean. It sets out a pathway toward greening buildings, transportation, power production, food and nature. Vancouver aims to be carbon neutral by 2050 and have buildings and transportation powered only by renewable energy before then.

02 Sky's the Limit

TORONTO

Like many other cities, Toronto has set the goal of being carbon neutral by 2050. Unlike other cities, Toronto's renewable energy target by that date is 75 percent, which will require fewer offsets than many other cities. By 2030, all new buildings will be built to produce near-zero greenhouse gas, and older buildings will be retrofitted to reduce their carbon footprint by 2050, including the city's skyscrapers.

03 Big City, Big Investment

NEW YORK CITY

The Big Apple is investing $20 billion into greening and protecting its five boroughs. By 2050, the city hopes to have reduced its emissions by 80 percent below their 2005 level, and has already achieved a 15 percent reduction toward that goal. By 2030, New York aims to have 1 gigawatt of power provided by solar power. Today, gas is the leading fuel.

04 Track Your Footprints

BUENOS AIRES, ARGENTINA