Greenhouse Gas Emissions Are a Personal Problem

When you talk about carbon footprints and the Kyoto Protocol, giant exhaust-belching industrial smokestacks come to mind, but if a new University of San Diego study is to be believed, greenhouse gas emissions start at home.

According to the USD study, 60% of greenhouse gas emissions in San Diego county come from home energy consumption and personal vehicle use by the 3.1 million people who call San Diego home.

According to the Union Trib:

"San Diego County released about 34 million metric tons of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases in 2006 – an 18 percent increase over 1990 levels. The number is in line with population growth for the period.

The region's per-capita emissions of greenhouse gases are slightly lower than California's and just half of the U.S. average. That's largely because of San Diego's mild climate and its limited reliance on coal for power."

USD report to help develop better plans to battle climate change [San Diego Union Tribune]