Energetic Metabolism and Air Quality in Bogota D. C.: A Sign of Unsustainability

Abstract

As an organism, Bogota has survived thanks to the “production”, storage, transformation and use of renewable and non-renewable energy, and to the work carried out to ensure the sustainability of the population, the maintenance and enhancement of the economic structure and, of course, to ensure the development of the city and its area of influence. The whole process has been carried out throughout “energetic transitions” achieved by the coming together of technical, economic, political, environmental and social forces in the city. This situation was analyzed by calculating the urban metabolism, taking into account the pillars of the city’s energy portfolio: electricity and fossil fuels and its derivatives. The magnitude of the consumption values, which for 2012 represent a release — due to combustion and use — of 125.8 BTU, shows the voracious appetite of the city. This undoubtedly generates a negative impact in the urban and regional environment, particularly in terms of air quality