EL PASO, Texas -- A new national ranking of local communities' carbon footprints by the Brookings Institution ranked El Paso ninth for the lowest per capita carbon emissions among the nation's 100 largest metro areas.

The report showed El Paso's carbon footprint from transportation per person declined 12.7 percent between 2000 and 2005.

"Shrinking the Carbon Footprint of Metropolitan America" highlights the need for local governments to participate in the climate change solution. For example, more than 39 percent of U.S. carbon emissions are generated by energy used in residential and commercial buildings. The report suggested local government can reduce emissions through new building codes and green building incentives.

Changes in transportation such as using more fuel-efficient fleets, clean-fuel buses and cars can also have a significant impact on the air quality of a city.

El Paso County is currently working with the Border Fair Housing and Economic Justice Center to hold its Solar Summit 2008 event at UTEP's Tomas Rivera Conference Center on July 25 and 26 to promote clean renewable energy and energy efficiency strategies in our community.

County officials are also working with Climate Communities, a national coalition of cities and counties that is seeking new federal resources to help localities reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The goal is to educate federal policymakers about the essential role of local governments in addressing climate change.

County Judge Anthony Cobos and staff recently traveled to Washington D.C. with the Climate Communities coalition to lobby federal legislators in favor of the Lieberman-Warner Climate Security Act.

In early June, the U.S. Senate is set to begin consideration of this legislation. This national legislation is expected to reduce the nation's carbon emissions by 65 percent by the year 2050.

The report is available online at http://www.brookings.edu/metro/CarbonFootprint.aspx.