A recent report from the personal finance website WalletHub has ranked some of the most polluted cities in the U.S.
Why It Matters
According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), research has demonstrated that air pollutants, including ozone and particulate matter, contribute to both the increased occurrence and severity of lung disease, heart disease and other health conditions.
The agency said children, older adults and those living in areas with high levels of pollution were especially vulnerable.
What To Know
According to data compiled by WalletHub, these are the five U.S. cities with the highest greenhouse gas emissions per capita:
Tulsa, Oklahoma
Houston, Texas
Denver, Colorado
Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Corpus Christi, Texas
Meanwhile, these are the five cities with the lowest greenhouse gas emissions per capita:
Anaheim, California
Oakland, California
Honolulu, Hawaii
Buffalo, New York
Riverside, California
The findings were part of a larger report by WalletHub that sought to assess the most environmentally friendly cities in the country. The study compared the 100 largest cities in the U.S. across 28 indicators, which included greenhouse emissions and green job opportunities.
The company told Newsweek that to measure the cities with the highest greenhouse gas emissions, it considered each location’s metric tonnage of carbon dioxide equivalent and total reported greenhouse gas emissions.
Carbon dioxide equivalent, or CO2e, means the “number of metric tons of CO2 emissions with the same global warming potential as one metric ton of another greenhouse gas,” according to the EPA.
In WalletHub’s wider report, the study found San Jose, California, to be the “greenest” city in the country—followed by Washington, D.C., and Oakland, California.
San Jose ranked fifth in solar panel installations per capita and had almost half of its electricity coming from renewable sources. The report also found that the city had the nation’s fourth-lowest urban heat island effect, helping keep temperatures moderate. The study also highlighted San Jose’s plastic bag ban, bike-sharing program and local green energy initiatives as further evidence of its sustainability efforts.
What People Are Saying
WalletHub analyst Chip Lupo said in the report: “There are plenty of things that individuals can do to adopt a green lifestyle, from recycling to sharing rides to installing solar panels on their homes. However, living in one of the greenest cities can make it even easier to care for the environment, due to sustainable laws and policies, access to locally-grown produce and infrastructure that allows residents to use vehicles less often. The greenest cities also are better for your health due to superior air and water quality.”
What Happens Next