In an interesting Swiss study, researchers conclude that only 21% of homes are responsible for 50% of the greenhouse gas emissions in any given community.
Their study of more than 3,000 households in a Swiss town found that only 21 percent of the households accounted for almost 50 percent of greenhouse gas emissions. The biggest factors contributing to a few families having a disproportionately large environmental footprint were large living spaces (which use energy for heating, lighting and cooling) and long commutes in private vehicles. “If their emissions could be halved, the total emissions of the community would be reduced by 25 percent,” the scientists concluded.
Dominik Saner and colleagues point out that the energy people use to power their homes and to satisfy their mobility needs accounts for more than 70 percent of emissions of carbon dioxide, the main greenhouse gas involved in global climate change.
For more information, and a link to the full study, visit ACS Chemistry for Life: “Big environmental footprints: 21 percent of homes account for 50 percent of greenhouse gas emissions”