Stop Global Warming: Move to a Green Metropolis

David Owen, in his book, Green Metropolis, argues convincingly that living in a compact city is the most effective way to prevent global warming.

I'm reading the book on my iPhone, my laptop and my desktop thanks to the Kindle store (link on the left; Disclosure: I make a small commission if you buy something from Amazon.com immediately after clicking on the link). The digital download is fast and easy and Amazon.com, although prices are in US dollars, doesn't charge sale tax (Kobobooks.com does). You can download the book to all your devices without paying extra.

People seem to care about global warming, but are they really ready to do something about it? So save the planet, move to New York City, Montreal or Vancouver (and buy digital books).

As Owen mentions in his book, New York City isn't a hippie environmental paradise. There is plenty of waist. And, although local nuclear and imported hydro are major sources, gas and coal are also used to power the city. But even if you drive a Prius and have solar panels on your bungalow, you will never match the typical New Yorker who, when not walking, takes the subway to and from his smallish apartment.

Obviously, if the New Yorker spends his vacation on the other side of the world instead of in his backyard mowing the lawn and fixing the deck, he'll probably end up matching the carbon foot print of the Vermonter. But if he spends it in Vermont, he wins (and so does the planet). So if you live in Vermont, you better be employed servicing New York tourists. Otherwise, global warming is your fault.