Individual American Consumers Responsible for Over 65% of U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions
From WSJ Article: A Big Sum of Small Differences
According to the Wall Street Journal, new analysis from McKinsey & Co. suggests that U.S. consumers have more control over U.S. greenhouse gas emissions than conventionally believed.
Through what and how they eat, drive, and consume, Americans are directly and indirectly responsible for over 65% of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions. This goes up against the belief by some that GHG reductions are primarily the responsibility of industry. According to McKinsey’s numbers, 17% of U.S. GHG emissions come from driving passenger cars while an equivalent amount came from residential buildings appliances.
While this demonstrates that individual consumers need to make moves to reduce their GHG emissions, it is also important to recognize that often they are constrained by the options they have available to them, which is one critical area where industry needs to take action.
