If you thought divorce was bad for the kids, you should see what it does to the environment.<\/p>\n
A study published Monday in the Proceedings of the National Academies of Science found that the resource inefficiency of divorced households resulted in an extra 73 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity use in the U.S. in 2005 — about 7% of total home use.<\/p>\n
“Turning on the light uses the same energy whether there are two people or four people in the room,” said lead author Jianguo Liu, an ecologist at Michigan State University.<\/p>\n
The extra electricity generation spews more carbon dioxide into the air, exacerbating global warming.<\/p>\n
“If you don’t want to get remarried, maybe move in with somebody you like,” said Liu, who just celebrated his 20th wedding anniversary.<\/p>\n
Other potential solutions include polygamy, communal living or roommates.<\/p>\n
“I’m just a scientist trying to present the facts,” Liu said. “I’m not promoting one way or another.”<\/p>\n