Cities contribute to 67 percent of the world’s primary energy demand, according to the 2008 World Energy Outlook published by the International Energy Agency. The Agency shows that cities emitted 19.8 gigatons of CO2 from energy use in 2006, which is 71 percent of global energy related CO2 emissions. Both of those percentages are expected to increase in the future.

To guide the building community and government in reducing energy use, The American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) is hosting Existing Buildings in Urban Areas: Dramatically Cutting the Energy Waste, a conference that will address theoretical and practical matters associated with major improvements in the energy efficiency of existing buildings.

The conference takes place April 19th-20th, 2010, at the Grand Hyatt in New York, N.Y. To register or for more information, please visit the ASHRAE Cutting Energy Waste web page.