Georgia's carbon footprint is shrinking — but our reliance on cars and big SUVs persists. Greenhouse gas emissions declined by about 8% per person between 2017 and 2021, according to new data from Drawdown Georgia looking at emissions from electricity, transportation, land sinks, agriculture and building.

The drop is "gigantic," said Marilyn Brown, professor of sustainable systems at Georgia Tech. Particularly, she said, when you take into account that the state's economy simultaneously grew 10% and the population by 4%.