Comparing apples to snowballs, are we? "For example, every dollar of GDP generated in Chile’s capital, Santiago, requires 60% more energy than a dollar of GDP generated in (much colder) Helsinki in Finland."
Maybe Helsinki requires less energy simply because the economy is more about immaterial work, e.g. GDP is generated by branding products actually manufactured in China?
Or maybe the well-insulated houses in Helsinki require less heating during the winter than the houses in Santiago require cooling during the summer?
Weak analysis -- you can't talk about the cities pace of growth vs GDP output without talking about the sectors responsible for growth in GDP. For instance, if manufacturing or agriculture were big drivers in GDP growth but the cities had no available/affordable land do develop for these purposes, then it would be expected that they would not keep pace.
Either way, the "drag" in this article is just on the average growth %, not an actual cost per-se.
Maybe Helsinki requires less energy simply because the economy is more about immaterial work, e.g. GDP is generated by branding products actually manufactured in China?
Or maybe the well-insulated houses in Helsinki require less heating during the winter than the houses in Santiago require cooling during the summer?