Residents of large metropolitan areas have significantly smaller carbon footprints than the typical American, according to new research from the Brookings Institution. In comparing metro regions to one another, Brookings found that those that are dense, have rail transit and lower vehicle miles being driven generally have smaller carbon footprints on a per capita basis.
The report, "Shrinking the Carbon Footprint of Metropolitan America", is the first to quantify the global-warming emissions of the 100 largest U.S. metros. Researchers tallied emissions from transportation and household energy use, the two areas most under the control of individual residents. (A later report will include commercial and industrial emissions.)
"Metros are responsible for a large amount of the nation’s emissions but also offer the best prospects for large savings," said Brookings’ Mark Muro, who directs the Metropolitan Policy Program. The report offers some clear policy recommendations for metro areas to lower their emissions; such as moving away from coal, investing in transit, building around transit, and embracing walkable density.