A new study estimates there are at least 500 million off-street parking spaces in the U.S. This represents 0.5% to 12% of estimated lifecycle energy consumption and greenhouse emissions, and 24% to 81% other air pollutants. —from Planetizen

That is an externality of private auto use paid for by everyone — with our health, our environment and in the cost added to goods and services to pay for the land and pavement. Remember that next time someone shrieks at you about public transit requiring subsidies. Everything is subsidized, some subsidies are just more insidious than others.

The full story is here:

The first nationwide count of parking spaces demonstrates their high environmental cost

Oh, and by the way, this much pavement would store one car…