D.C. Area Outpaces Nations in Pollution

For example, greater Washington's carbon dioxide emissions are 25 percent higher than those of Sweden, which has 9 million people, compared with the Washington region's 5 million. Emissions are 42 percent higher than in Switzerland, a country of 7.5 million.

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The reason that greater Washington pollutes a great deal, scientists say, is that Americans in general pollute a great deal. In fact, the region's residents -- who can take mass transit and live in pedestrian-friendly urban centers -- produce less carbon dioxide per capita than the average American. At last count, the total was 13.2 metric tons a year, compared with close to 20 metric tons a year per person nationally.

But the region still has many of the country's bad carbon habits. Washington's cars and trucks, which sit in traffic recently judged to be tied for second-worst in the country, account for 34 percent of area emissions. In total, transportation in the region accounts for 22.6 million metric tons of carbon dioxide, the equivalent of all of Lithuania's emissions and roughly five times what Nicaragua emits.

Also, the area is home to several coal-burning power plants, the type of plant that supplies nearly half the country's electricity. Together, power plants in the region produced about 20 million metric tons of carbon dioxide in 2005, or two times the output of Armenia.

"We rely heavily on coal," said Montgomery County Council member George L. Leventhal (D-At Large), who has been active on environmental issues. "And coal is dirty."

The impact of coal seems especially evident in the figures for Maryland, which has emissions almost equal to those of the District and Northern Virginia combined.

The main reason, according to King -- who worked on the data -- is the amount emitted from such coal-fired plants as Dickerson in Montgomery, Chalk Point in Prince George's and Morgantown in Charles counties. Virginia also has several coal-fired plants, environmentalists said, but they are located mainly in other parts of the state.

Cleaning up the emissions from these coal-fired plants is, for now, a tall order because technology to capture and store carbon dioxide is not in wide use. For the moment, climate activists would like to see states reduce their overall energy use so that less coal needs to be burned. Eventually, they hope that cleaner energy sources will be found.

Governments at various levels are beginning their own cleanups. Arlington, Fairfax and Montgomery counties have joined a "cool counties" program that calls for such changes as more "green" buildings and more hybrid cars in county fleets. The District has mandated energy-saving features in some new buildings.

A new Maryland law will cut auto emissions, and the state has joined a regional pact to reduce emissions from power plants. Virginia recently announced an energy plan that includes a goal to cut emissions by 30 percent by 2025.

Ordinary citizens also seem to be looking for ways to help. A campaign called the Cool Capital Challenge, which asks individuals and companies to promise to reduce their own emissions, has received pledges this year totaling 265 million pounds of carbon dioxide.

In Woodley Park, environmental blogger Joseph Romm made his own changes, remodeling his home to include energy-saving appliances and an energy-generating solar array on the roof. He works from home most days and drives a hybrid Toyota Prius when he does leave.

"If you have come to the view that global warming is the biggest problem facing this country," said Romm, who writes about climate change, "then I think you have to do something."

But how much can really be done? Although local officials are promising to reduce carbon dioxide emissions in the coming decades, the COG report shows that pollution is actually going the other way: up. At the current pace, it forecasts, emissions will increase 35 percent by 2030.

That's left a few local officials thinking that the region may need some solution to appear -- a new technology, perhaps, that would make it possible to pollute less, even as the area grows.

"We don't know how we're going to meet the very, very . . . intense goal" of sharp reductions in the coming decades, said Stuart Freudberg, director of environmental programs for COG. "It's not going to be something we figure out -- you know, six months from now, we have the answer."

Staff researcher Eddy Palanzo contributed to this report.