News Reporter: Climate Coach: Nearly every household in America has a car.

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Climate Coach
Down-to-earth advice for life on our changing planet.

Access to reliable mass transit, a rarity in much of the United States, is one factor that makes going car-free possible. (iStock)

By Michael J. Coren

Welcome. This week, fruit fly brains and a greening Antarctica. But first, what does it take to be a car-free family?

For most people, discovering one's car was stolen while on vacation might be disastrous. For Teo and Emily Valdés, the loss of their Toyota RAV4 marked the beginning of a new life.

After flying home to Philadelphia from Montreal, they did something they'd long considered but never dared to do: Go car-free.

Today, Emily, 32, and Teo, 41, live with two children under 4 — without a vehicle. Families like the Valdéses are vanishingly rare in America and getting rarer: Just 8.4 percent of American households own no cars, and 33.3 percent own just one vehicle.

Despite the explosion of alternatives to vehicle ownership — car-sharing platforms, ride-hailing apps such as Uber and Lyft, autonomous taxis and a menagerie of "micro-mobility" from electric scooters to e-bikes — none have made a dent.

"It just doesn't budge," says Steven Polzin, a research professor at Arizona State University's School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment. "The freedom and flexibility of having your own vehicle is just unrivaled."

But even Polzin admitted that's not true everywhere. In urban centers, a small number of people are embracing the car-free (or one-car) lifestyle for themselves. So I was curious: How are other families like the Valdéses managing to defy the trend of one car for every adult?

The secret, I found, is not just choosing how you want to live. It's where you live.

A few tips from Teo and Emily Valdés:

They shop more often when it's convenient with simple foldable Cobags panniers that hook onto their bicycles and store easily, instead of one big weekly car trip for groceries.
Philadelphia's bus and subway deliver them to most places they need to go. Ride-hail and rental cars reach the rest.
To transport the kids, they downsized their stroller to use on the bus and swapped out bulky car seats for safety-tested restraint vests.

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Field Sample

The Washington Post has reporters across the South covering the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, now one of the deadliest hurricanes in modern history with damage that could exceed $200 billion.

Environment and climate reporter Brady Dennis, who has chronicled the devastation in North Carolina, told "Post Reports" "it's not really an overstatement to say there are towns that were there and are basically not there anymore."

By late last week, rescuers were still entering remote towns, sometimes by horseback or inside helicopters. Officials warned the death toll of 154 could rise. In places like Chimney Rock, N.C., the landslides and floodwaters mean the entire town is virtually gone.

Workers, community members and business owners clean up debris in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene in Marshall, N.C., on Sept. 30. (Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post)

Only a tiny fraction of households in the inland counties hardest hit by Hurricane Helene held flood insurance. And it's not over yet: Hurricane Milton is now a Category 5 storm as it approaches Florida.

You can read more coverage from reporters including The Post's Scott Dance, Brianna Sacks, Dino Grandoni and video journalist Alice Li.

Learning Curve

In 1952, coal smoke choked London's air. As many as 12,000 people died during that winter's Great Smog, a period of a few days when a thick blanket of pollution smothered the city.

But last month Britain shut down its last operating coal power plant. Sept. 30 marked the end of 140 years of coal-fired electricity in the birthplace of the industrial revolution.

How did one of the world's major economies wean itself off the dirtiest fossil fuel? Mostly with wind, solar and methane gas. The Post's Niko Kommenda and Harry Stevens explore what the U.K.'s milestone means for the rest of the world, and the climate. Read more here.

The Second Degree

I wrote last year why we all need to think like Floridians now as hurricanes like Helene are being felt far inland. Doreen in southeast Florida, whose homeowner insurance has more than doubled despite living miles from the coast and never filing a claim, says it's time for her to sell her house.

"When significant numbers of people can't afford the insurance, when people start seeing lower home sales prices or inability to sell because buyers can't get mortgages, people will wake up," she wrote. "I'm heading out to Deerfield Beach tomorrow to prepare my house for the MLS listings."

On the Climate Front

From The Post:

Three Mile Island owner is seeking taxpayer backing for Microsoft AI deal.

Scientists mark a major neuroscience milestone: mapping a tiny fruit fly brain.

Here's how to build a new AC that will get the world through hotter summers.

Have black plastic in your home? It could expose you to toxic chemicals, researchers say.

From elsewhere:

A greening Antarctica signals a climate shift on the frozen continent, reports Inside Climate News.

Zillow is adding climate risk data to home listings as threats rise, reports CNBC.

Mexico's new president vows a dramatic climate policy change, says Newsweek. Will she follow through?

Texas will get a new interconnection to the grid potentially saving it from future blackouts, reports the Dallas Morning News.

Nancy Edwards shared this photo of Garrett, her house rabbit.

Rabbits are one of the most environmentally friendly pets around — but also a big commitment. (PETA reports rabbits are the third most surrendered animal to shelters.)

One of the best ways to see if a rabbit is right for you is fostering. You can find a rabbit rescue organization near you here.

Send me your photos and stories at climatecoach@washpost.com