Lower Carbon Footprint

Credit: Raa_Sz

City Dwellers Leave Smaller Carbon Footprints

“If you’re deciding where to live, consider moving to an urban area. You’ll help fight global warming by emitting less CO₂. And you’re likely to drive less, so you’ll spend less on transportation, saving up to $5,000 annually.”

That's the word from the Center for Neighborhood Technology, which published the results of a new study in May. CNT studied carbon emissions from 55 metro areas across the U.S. with particular emphasis on personal vehicle emissions. What they learned - city dwellers apparently leave less of a carbon footprint than those who live in the suburbs - about 70% less of a carbon footprint, at least when it comes to getting around. They also found that people in exurbs spend more money as a proportion of their income on personal travel.

The study took a different tack on looking at greenhouse emissions than other studies of its kind, which look at greenhouse gas emissions per acre. Instead, CNT looked at greenhouse gas emissions per household, and the results are dramatically different. The former paradigm paints the cities as bad guys, putting out steaming piles of greenhouse gas - not surprising, really, when you consider population concentration. By contrast, when the carbon footprints are measured by household, cities come out smelling much sweeter.

Basically, city dwellers don't use cars as much because everything they need is closer. The same holds true in planned communities where most necessities are within walking distance, or in communities with good public transportation. Based on their findings, CNT suggests that cities and planned communities are a key part of the climate change solution. CNT also suggests that if you are deciding where to live, you should consider the difference in your carbon footprint output when making your decision. Living in a "compact neighborhood" can reduce your carbon footprint by 70% and your transportation costs by as much as $5,000.

Want to see how your area stacks up? You can take a look at your neighborhood through two lenses at the Housing and Transportation Affordability Index. Check it out - the results are rather enlightening.

Deb Powers writes about coffee and fair trade at CoffeeBreak Blog and about political and feminist issues at Not My Mother's Blog.