![Rotterdam, Europe's largest port, is surrounded by water. Image by Alex Maclean/YaleEnvironment360. Netherlands, 2015. Media file: rotterdam_photo.jpg](/sites/default/files/11-06-15/rotterdam_photo.jpg)
Responding to the unfolding climate emergency, though not easy, can be done without abandoning modern comforts.
Europeans burn much less gasoline in their cars than Americans do. They consume much less electricity and use natural gas to light and heat their homes. Their public, commercial and industrial buildings have far more efficient climate control and lighting. Their public transport is far more convenient and is used more frequently. The same is true with bike paths and bikes. The carbon footprint of Europeans is half that of US inhabitants. Yet Europeans, especially in the northern countries, have a high standard of living.
Alex MacLean and Dan Grossman travel to northern Europe, the amazingly low-carbon part of the continent. From the sky the photographer and writer view development and transportation patterns impossible to see from below. On the ground they visit the same regions, and meet people who live in, design and study Europe's low-carbon towns.