Granted winters in Reykjavik are substantially warmer and somewhat less snowy than they are here where I live in Southcentral Alaska.  But they are still very, very dark, and also very stormy, so I wonder: could Reykjavik's citizens' reluctance to rely on public transportation possibly have anything to do with the fact it means waiting and walking in the dark at both ends of a typical workday commute?

Maybe with increasing sprawl, the city's taffic will eventually get bad enough to prompt some commuters to take the bus.  But as one who knows what it's like to try to navigate icy sidewalks in the pitch dark at 9 AM and 5 PM with wind-driven snow, sleet and rain plastering my face, I wouldn't blame them if they stuck to their cars.

Sure, it matters what and how much we drive.  But Icelanders, like most of my Alaskan neighbors, drive far fewer miles each year than the average US resident.  What matters more in terms of global warming is how big our houses are, how well insulated, how they are heated or cooled, and whether we use two-stroke lawnmowers, weed whackers, snowblowers etc. to maintain our huge yards.  On these measures, Iceland has most places beat.  So as another northern city dweller, I'm willing to forgive them their predilection for cars over buses.