Major U.S. City Post-Oil Preparedness Ranking
In 2008 for the first time in history the United States experienced oil prices well in excess of $100 a barrel. Retail gasoline prices reached near five dollars a gallon in parts of the nation. This report examines how the 50 largest U.S. cities (by population) will fare with volatile oil prices, oil or gas supply shocks, and global climate change regulations.
The study examines key data variables across public primary and secondary research sources. Data variables include city resident carpooling, city resident telecommuting, city public transit use, metro area public transit use, walking and biking to work rates and metro area sprawl.
This report is appropriate for those readers interested in understanding how their city ranks in comparison to other cities. By reading this document, local governments can assess in which areas they are strong and which areas need improvement. Governments will also be able to determine which cities they can emulate in order to better prepare for high gasoline prices.
A term used for significant changes over an extended period of time in the Earth's natural environments. Climate change can be produced by natural processes (e.g. changes in the Earth's orbit) or by the impact of human behavior (e.g. deforestation). See GLOBAL CLIMATE CHANGE.A common measure of petroleum. One barrel equals 42 U.S. gallons and has enough energy to power an average car for 700 miles at 18 miles per gallon. A barrel of oil contains approximately 6 million British thermal Units (BTUs).Working by using telecommunications and computer technology from a location other than the usual or traditional place of business.
