For the environment's sake, don't get divorced

[Az]

Source: New Scientist

A rising tide of divorce is taking a huge toll on the planet, warns a groundbreaking analysis of the environmental impact of divorce.

The environmental cost of a marriage splitting occurs because couples and their families move into separate properties after divorce – meaning they collectively occupy more space, burn more energy, and consume more water than they did as a family unit.

“Divorced households are smaller than married households, but consume more land, water, and energy per person than married households,” says Jianguo Liu of Michigan State University in East Lansing, US, who carried out the 12-country analysis with colleague Eunice Yu.

In the US, for example, 627 billion gallons of water, the use of 38 million rooms, and 734 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity would have been saved in 2005 alone if no-one had got divorced.

Read more: http://environment.newscientist.com/channel/earth/dn12990-for-the-environments-sake-dont-get-divorced.html?feedId=online-news_rss20

[kestrel91316]

1. Wow. They forgot to lay part of the blame on us "never-marrieds", too.

[Dead_Parrot]

4. What? Single? Hie thee to a church, you godless waster!

;)

[hunter]

5. 'tis okay if they live in mom's basement.

:P

[aquart]

2. Faith-based funding?

[YankeyMCC]

3. Sonovabitch

I see this thread moments after sending an Email to my STBE about scheduling the next mediator appointment. :eyes:

[hunter]

6. "Nuclear Families" are bad for the environment too.

Every big house should contain multiple generations, relatives near and far, and people of entirely unspecified origin living in it.

We don't know what dive Aunty Alexa picked up that guy in, but he's a pretty good cook!