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• Edgy Veggie

Kyle Orton best NFL quarterback and other misinterpretations of data

If you are a Coloradan and concerned about the environment, firstly, thanks for reading and, secondly, we’re worried that you may have come across a story recently that would lead you to believe that Denver is the worst polluter in the world.

Kyle Orton, the best NFL quarterback, according to a study.

We don’t blame you for coming to that conclusion, since a few sites, to which I am hesitant to link, have blared that as an attention-getting headline. And why not? What a great headline! DENVER BIGGEST POLLUTER IN THE WORLD!

Got your attention, right? You’re thinking, but surely there must be another city that pollutes more. Well, not according to science, say these blogs. Yes, they even link to a scientific study!

I wasn’t going to freak out about this until it was brought to my attention that it had spread to several sources — including some that you’d be likely to trust on this sort of thing. The first place that I saw it was on TheDailyGreen, which I usually like. Then I was sent links to similarly misleading stories/posts/releases on ScienceDaily and Huffington Post Denver (whose post is the least misleading of the three, but still a bit unclear; bonus points to the author, though, for simply making the point that regardless of Denver’s spot on the apocryphal list, there’s work to be done).

It should be mentioned somewhere — anywhere — in those stories that Denver is the most polluting city, by the study’s specific measurements, out of ten cities studied, chosen not because they would rank among the world’s highest polluters but because they would provide insight into the ways that urban greenhouse gas emissions work.

The ten cities studied did not include another major U.S. transportation hub in a wintry climate, Chicago, nor did it include, say, Beijing.

So to say that Denver is the top polluting city would be like having a headline that said Kyle Orton is the best NFL quarterback, then writing a post about how it is clear that he is better than other quarterbacks like Chris Simms and Tom Brandstater, then linking, at the bottom, to a study in which it is revealed that only three quarterbacks were studied, notably leaving out Peyton Manning and Tom Brady. Also, the quarterback study was initiated to determine what makes a quarterback different from a punter.

To restate: the aim of the study was not to identify the most polluting city in the world, but to explore the contributing factors to urban environmental impact. Quoting from the study: “The objective of this work, to understand how and why urban GHG emissions differ, has partially been assisted by the activities of municipal governments.”

I’m not saying Denver is perfect — far from it — I’m just saying that maybe we should all be a little more accurate in the way that we interpret and disseminate data.

Also I’m saying I got a little worked up over this.

If you’re curious as to the factors that put Denver at the top of this list, two discussed are climate and its role as a hub:

A lot of people at DIA.

This study of ten global cities has shown how the metabolism and GHG emissions of a city are strongly dependent upon its location. Climate, in particular heating degree days, is currently an important determinant of the amount of energy required to heat urban buildings (although this could change with tighter building envelopes). Moreover, the location of a city often determines its status as a gateway, thereby explaining emissions arising from airplanes and shipping.

This means, happily, that two of the primary factors have immediately actionable solutions: weatherize, use less climate control and travel by air less frequently.

And, might I add, you look great in that sweater. You know the one I mean. That one you wear instead of turning the thermostat up. Yeah, your planet-saving sweater. Very dashing.

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Like what we're doing? Got a spare sawbuck? Help us pay for site maintenance and reporting and we'll think happy thoughts about you sometimes. $100 gets you a personal, paperless thank-you video from Dave and Laura! $500 gets you... five personal, paperless thank-you videos from Dave and Laura and a tote bag!