I always knew Florida contributed disproportionately to Fark.com and News of the Weird entries, but it looks like we've earned another distinction: disproportionate effect on global warming.
According to growth management watchdogs 1000 Friends of Florida, Florida’s largest metro areas pump out more greenhouse gases per person than in other large cities. They're basing the info on a recent report by the Brookings Institution that ranks the carbon emissions of 100 metro areas.
From their press release:
Florida’s metro areas increased their per capita carbon footprints much more dramatically than average in the period between 2000 and 2005. The biggest increase was from transportation, ranging from a 4.6 percent increase in Jacksonville to a whopping 58.6 percent in Sarasota-Bradenton-Venice. By comparison, the average increase in per capita footprint from transportation in the nation’s 100 largest metro areas was 2.4 percent.
Well, damn. Like any Floridian, my first response is to blame the tourists, but I don’t think that explanation flies on this one. It’s our growth patterns. It’s our sprawl. Our short-sighted government leaders.
So, which Florida cities fared the worst in the report?
Jacksonville, Sarasota-Bradenton-Venice and Cape Coral-Fort Myers. Surprisingly, Miami did the best of the Florida cities mentioned, ranking 30th in tons of carbon emited per person.
Good news though: Overall, we aren’t the worst. That distinction goes to folks in places like Lexington (Kentucky), Indianapolis, Cincinnati, Toledo, Louisville, Nashville and Oklahoma City.
Ha! Take that Rusty Belters! Al Gore is gonna run wild on you!
Ahem. As for us in the Tampa Bay area, we rank a mediocre 53rd.
Check out the full report here.
This article appears in Jul 9-15, 2008.
