A new study by the Brookings Institue, as reported by the LA Times, has concluded that Los Angeles has the second lowest carbon footprint for our nations big cities, outside of Honolulu. Yes, you read that correctly. Los Angeles is more green than Denver, New York, even San Francisco.
The article is quick to point out any misgivings of the study:
“The calculations did not account for the fact that half the city’s electricity comes from coal-fired power plants. Instead, Brookings used a state-wide average that included the hydroelectric and nuclear plants in Northern California.
Omitted from the data are emissions from industries and commercial buildings, and from local roads apart from federal highways.”
That said, it is still impressive that it even comes near the top of any survey, considering the smog most people associate with the city. However, it does make sense that California cities are all at or near the top of the survey. San Francisco, San Deigo, and San Jose all rank within the top 10 of the smallest footprint study. Much of this is due to California’s “overall carbon-saving plans, including a stringent state building code and strict utility pricing rules for energy conservation.”
In contrast, cities in the South stick out as leaving heavy carbon footprints. Seven of the worst 10 are from the South, including two each from Tennesee and Kentucky.
*image source: Wikimedia
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