Factors affecting urban decarbonization in Iran (case study: Urmia city)

Widespread climate changes and their consequences on the economic, social, political, etc. fields have forced global societies to take serious decisions and change development strategies. Reducing greenhouse gas emissions, which is an important factor in global warming, is one of these strategies. Cities, as centers of population and a variety of polluting activities, are important centers of greenhouse gas production. This issue is more visible in developing countries including Iran. In this regard, this research tries to identify the components and indicators that affect urban carbon reduction with the aim of investigating the theoretical foundations and background, and to analyze and present them for future urban plans and strategies. For this reason, the current research was conducted using confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation model, and it was conducted in survey and Desk search. The methodological approach of the research is also quantitative in terms of the type of data. The main tool for data collection is a closed questionnaire with a Likert scale. SPSS21 and AMOS23 software were used for data analysis. Finally, various fitting tests were performed and their usefulness was evaluated. The obtained results show that different components and indicators are effective on urban decarbonization with different impact levels. Factor loadings indicate the extent of their influence on the subject. Among the components and indicators, the options related to the preservation of forests, clean and pedestrian-oriented transportation, use of clean energy, etc., have received the highest factor load and have a warning sign on the policies adopted by the responsible bodies in the field. Moving towards the mentioned components is a big step towards forming one of the three sides of sustainable development.