Solar panels on a D.C. home. Photo: MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images
D.C.’s denser, more transit-friendly neighborhoods corresponding to Navy Yard are likely to have lower carbon emissions than largely single-family neighborhoods like Palisades, based on recent research.
Why it matters: The information shows that planet-warming emissions will be reduced by each leadership decisions — corresponding to constructing more housing near public transportation — and private lifestyle decisions like driving an electrical automobile or cutting down on air travel.
What they did: With help from consulting firm EcoDataLab, researchers on the University of California, Berkeley measured household CO2 emissions by analyzing transportation, housing, foods, goods — like furniture and appliances — and services — like education and health care.
Zoom in: In Northern Virginia, carbon emissions within the low-density, affluent Great Falls area are much higher than the national average across all five categories.
- In contrast, urban parts of Arlington along Metro corridors have emissions equal to or below the national average.
The large picture: The Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments has a goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 50% by 2030. It exceeded its 20% reduction goal in 2020.
- Further progress would require more solar energy and net-zero energy buildings, and increased opportunities for transit, teleworking, walking, and bicycling, based on the group.
🧠 Be smart: Wealth also correlates with higher emissions. Solar panels, more energy-efficient home goods, and greener types of transportation can all lower an area’s carbon footprint.
Go deeper: Zoom in on the map to seek out your neighborhood.
