Urbanites emit less CO2

If you live in a large city, pat yourself on the back, it turns out that you’re lifestyle is generally more carbon-conscious than the national average. According to a study by the Brookings Institute, residents in the 100 largest US metropolitan areas were responsible for an average of 2.47 tons of carbon emissions each year, while the average is sitting at around 2.87 tons.

While cities still produce their fair share of emissions — an estimated 56% of total US emissions — that news definitely bucks the stereotype that cities are filthy smog machines.

The other unexpected find was the wide range of carbon emissions from city to city. In general, cities in

the East had the highest emissions due to their reliance on coal ability and oil for heating. Weather has a pretty profound effect on carbon emissions, intense heating and cooling are big sources of carbon. Typically, the advantage goes to temperate parts of the West.

The award for highest per capita emissions goes to Lexington, KY where each person is responsible for a whopping 3.81 tons of CO2. The lowest carbon emitters live in Honolulu, burning 1.5 tons a pop. Unsurprisingly, most of the carbon-lowering benefits come from simply concentrating the population into a centralized area with good public transit systems — something that’s not necessarily happening in our nation’s fastest growing cities.

[Source] Josh Loposer

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