Where can you go to enjoy an American style standard of living, while polluting as little as someone who lives in a European country?
No surprise, the answer is Oregon.
Downtown Portland. Courtesy EPA.
Our state, along with Washington, California, New York, Rhode Island and Vermont, get special mention in a new report about the wide differences in greenhouse gas emissions across the country.
These six states have the lowest per capita emissions in the U.S., about half the national average, and are on par with several European nations including Belgium, Ireland, German and the United Kingdom.
But before we pat ourselves on the back, lets dig into the numbers a little further.
Bonneville Dam. Courtesy BPA.
One of the reasons we score so well is that much of our electricity is generated by hydropower. Dams don’t emit greenhouse gases. But they do come with their own set of environmental consequences, including the damage they do to salmon. Vermont scores well in part because more than a third of it’s electricity comes from nuclear power.
And what about Portland’s highly praised mass transit system? Sorry Oregonians, when it comes to greenhouse gas emissions from transportation, we score near the national average. But the report says that our use of trains and buses, along with high gas prices, is making a difference. Because of those factors, we’re driving several hundred fewer miles per year.
The report was produced by a newly formed group called Real Climate Economics. Portland based Ecotrust provides major support. The group’s aim is to dispute charges that controling greenhouse gas emissions will harm the economy.
One of the questions raised by the report is this; if Oregon and five other states can have good lifestyles with less pollution, how can we repeat those results in other parts of the country?
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