Clamping Down On Urban Noise Could Help Fight Climate Change

"If everyone in the U.S. lived in a condo, apartment or town home in an urban setting, we could cut potentially carbon emissions by 1 billion metric tons or more. That is approximately what Italy and the United Kingdom generate, combined."

"The CO2 generated from the heating and cooling of condos can be 70 percent less than that from a single-family home. Likewise, the amount of landscaping to water is near zero (reducing CO2 emissions from pumping irrigation water to the home and also saving precious clean water).

Plus, the amount of materials used to build a condo versus a single-family home can be 30 to 50 percent less, reducing CO2 emissions from manufacturing these items (actually a major source of CO2), as well as from transportation to the jobsite and installation time and energy.

However, the number-one complaint of occupants these days is noise. Noise from the street, noise from neighbors, noise when trying to sleep. Often, it is this noise that keeps people from moving into urban environments, and thus continuing to generate more CO2."

"What to do? Well, technology now exists to deal easily and cost effectively with both street noise and neighbor (party wall) noise."