This article explains why suburbs and single-family homes are the most carbon-intensive living environments and provides more sustainable solutions for local policymakers and homeowners. Students experiencing homelessness may be uncomfortable with this topic, especially if students are asked to share if they live in a single-family home, multi-family home, etc. Teachers should refrain from requiring students to answer questions about their personal living situation if they are uncomfortable. The video, Why Sustainable Housing Matters, can provide students with other aspects of sustainable housing, such as social connection, racism, and more.
Written By: MIT Environmental Solutions Initiative
The MIT Climate Change Engagement Program, a part of MIT Climate HQ, provides the public with nonpartisan, easy-to-understand, and scientifically-grounded information on climate change and its solutions.
Suburban sprawl, with its single-family homes and car-centric culture, is sometimes criticized as an example of the overconsumption that helps fuel climate change. And it's true that, at least in high-income countries, people in semi-urban and suburban areas emit more climate-warming carbon dioxide (CO2) than those in cities. But for those who prefer to live in the suburbs, there are still plenty of opportunities to lower their greenhouse gas emissions. And as cities have become increasingly expensive, more Americans have found urban life inaccessible—particularly low-income people and people of color—making it even more important to lower the climate impact of suburban life.
In terms of CO2 emissions, the biggest difference between urban and suburban areas is their drastically different uses of space, inside and outside the home. “Single-family homes are really kind of what we think of as the American typical home, but they’re probably the most inefficient way to build housing in terms of energy,” says David Hsu, MIT associate professor of urban and environmental planning.
