Carbon footprints of US residents

A study examines links between neighborhood attributes and carbon footprints in the United States. Around one-fifth of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the United States results from residential energy use. However, it is unclear which states harbor the most carbon-intensive and energy-intensive housing stocks. Using 2015 tax assessor records of approximately 93 million homes in the contiguous United States, Benjamin Goldstein and colleagues reviewed information relevant to estimating energy consumption--including building age, size, location, and construction year--and housing type, such as whether the building was a single-family home or an apartment complex. GHG emissions per unit floor space were highest in central states and lowest in western states. Low-income residents emitted approximately 25% less GHGs for energy use than high-income residents, primarily because they live in smaller homes. High-emissions neighborhoods were primarily high-income neighborhoods. Such effects were magnified in affluent neighborhoods, where GHG emissions were up to 15 times higher than nearby less affluent neighborhoods. Furthermore, the authors predict that residential neighborhoods will be unable to achieve the Paris Agreement target of cutting 80% of GHG emissions by 2050 by relying solely on a transition to low-carbon electricity production. The findings suggest that reduced floor spaces and communities with increased density may be necessary to create low-carbon neighborhoods, according to the authors.

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Article #19-22205: "The carbon footprint of household energy use in the United States," by Benjamin Goldstein, Dimitrios Gounaridis, and Joshua P. Newell.

MEDIA CONTACT: Benjamin Goldstein, University of Michigan-Ann Arbor, MI; tel: 734-210-9870; e-mail: benjgo@umich.edu

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