Pollution and Pavement: Impervious Surfaces, the Built Environment, and Carbon Intensity of Well Being

Developing a deeper understanding of the relationship between the rural, suburban, exurban, and urban character of human settlements, the magnitude of localized industrial carbon emissions, and population and demographic... [ view full abstract ]

Developing a deeper understanding of the relationship between the rural, suburban, exurban, and urban character of human settlements, the magnitude of localized industrial carbon emissions, and population and demographic characteristics of such areas will help in the creation of environmental planning regimes. In the United States, the development status of place is often measured by reference to population features or census designations. Yet, despite calls to better integrate the social and physical features of landscapes while making environmental decisions, the use of these metrics as proxies for urbanity may imperfectly reflect landscape characteristics that fundamentally alter the nature of socio-ecological interactions. These include differences in the extent of the built environment within populated areas. Importantly, the analysis of landscape characteristics and industrial carbon emissions may be prone to issues of spatial dependence on local or regional scales, which suggests that the use of spatially explicit analyses is necessary. Using data from the National Land Cover Database, the U.S. census, and the Environmental Protection Agency’s Toxic Release Inventory, we address these issues using geographic information science techniques, including Moran’s I and spatial lag models, as well as multi-level modeling techniques. We assess the associations between the percentage of impervious surfaces within counties in the contiguous United States and the rates of industrial carbon emissions produced per unit of well being (carbon intensity of well being). Our analyses indicate that not only is impervious surface positively associated with greater carbon intensity of well being, but also suggest interactions between impervious surface and county-level socio-economic profiles. Continuing efforts to explain the existence of these regional differences—including merging impervious surface analysis with more traditional forms of analysis based in population variables and demographic controls—may help us to better appreciate the complex interactions between landscape characteristics, demographics, and efficiencies in resource use. In turn, this will help environmental planners develop locally appropriate regimes that best serve the needs of local communities.