Reporter’s Notebook: San Diego drivers have a bigger carbon footprint than L.A. drivers. At least on paper.
Drivers in San Diego reportedly produce nearly twice as much greenhouse gas as Angelina behind the wheel.
This is according to a comparison of climate action plans of cities, which estimated that before the pandemic, road transport released 5.8 million tons and 3.4 million tons of emissions that cause the warming of the planet.
The results are shocking considering that the city of San Diego has about 1.3 million people, while Los Angeles has more than 3.8 million inhabitants.
“These numbers don’t make a lot of sense given the difference in population and physical size,” said Ted Lamm, senior research fellow at UC Berkeley’s Center for Law, Energy and the Environment. “I suppose differences in public transport usage, vehicle electrification rates, etc… may have some impact, but nothing of that magnitude.”
One of the explanations may be the different carbon accounting methods used by each city.
San Diego uses the Community Protocol for Accounting and Reporting of Greenhouse Gas Emissions, a standard tool recommended by the State of California. L.A. has, on the other hand, accepted the Global Protocol for Greenhouse Gas Emissions at Community Level.
“L.A. is the only US city I’ve seen that uses this protocol, so it’s hard to compare LA’s inventory to any other city,” said Juan Matute, deputy director of UCLA’s Institute for Transportation Studies, which helped develop the method adopted by San Diego.
“I think the fault is here in L.A. for doing their own thing,” he added. “San Diego looks more like what I would expect from a climate action plan.”
The city of Los Angeles did not respond to multiple interview requests for this story. The city of San Diego confirmed that the different uses of the models are likely behind the discrepancy.
It is based on the estimate that a cubic meter of wood absorbs slightly less than a ton of CO2. But in fact, wood absorbs on average between 10 and 40 kg of CO2 per year, depending on a number of factors.
What is a ton of carbon emissions?
At standard temperature and pressure, one metric ton of carbon dioxide (COâ) would fill a sphere 32 feet (about 9.8 meters) in diameter. The average car in the US will produce it over a period of three months. metric tons of CO are released worldwide from the burning of fossil fuels.
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Can you measure your carbon footprint?
Your carbon footprint is the total amount of greenhouse gases released into the atmosphere as a result of your actions. To measure your carbon footprint, you need to examine the three types of emissions that the Greenhouse Gas Protocol (GHGP) designates as ‘scopes’ Link opens in new window.
What is the unit of carbon footprint?
The standard unit for measuring carbon footprint is carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e), which is expressed as parts per million by volume, ppmv. The idea is to express the impact of each different greenhouse gas in terms of the amount of CO2 that would create the same amount of warming.
What is the unit of measure for carbon footprint? The standard unit for measuring carbon footprint is carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e), which is expressed as parts per million by volume, ppmv.
What is the value of carbon footprint?
A carbon footprint is the total amount of greenhouse gases (including carbon dioxide and methane) produced by our activities. The average carbon footprint for a person in the United States is 16 tons, one of the highest rates in the world. Globally, the average carbon footprint is closer to 4 tons.
What is the price of 1 ton of CO2?
The current central estimate of the social price of carbon is over $50 per ton in today’s dollars. Although this is the most robust and credible number available, it still does not include all of the generally recognized and accepted scientific and economic impacts of climate change.
How is carbon footprint measured?
Carbon footprints are usually measured in terms of an annual footprint that takes into account the impact of all key company activities during a calendar year, but it is increasingly common for manufacturing companies to report their footprint by product.
What is the value of carbon?
The term carbon value is any representation of the monetary cost applied to a unit of greenhouse gas emissions, expressed in terms of the net cost of social damages (ie, the social cost of carbon), the marginal cost of reducing greenhouse gases, or using another approach.
Why is carbon footprint calculated?
A company’s carbon footprint is a significant measure of its impact on the environment. It represents an indirect indicator of the consumption of energy, products and services and measures the amount of carbon footprint corresponding to the company’s activities or products.
What is the main purpose of carbon footprint?
Carbon footprints estimate the total amount of greenhouse gases emitted during the production, processing and retailing of consumer goods. The aim is to identify the main sources of emissions in supply chains in order to inform relevant stakeholders so that actions can be taken to reduce emissions.
Why is it called a carbon footprint?
When talking about climate change, a footprint is a metaphor for the overall impact something has. And carbon is shorthand for all the different greenhouse gases that contribute to global warming.
How can I minimize my carbon footprint?
Simple tips to reduce your carbon footprint
- Turn it off. Turn off lights when natural light is sufficient and when you leave the room. …
- Climate control. …
- Wasteful Windows. …
- Minimize the load on the plug. …
- Phantom power. …
- Relax. …
- Go up the stairs. …
- Loaded Laundry.
What material has the biggest carbon footprint?
Aluminum. Last but not least, the single material that leaves the largest carbon footprint is aluminum. Along with brick, cement and steel, aluminum is considered one of the most critical building materials today.
Which material absorbs the most carbon? The carbon sink absorbs carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. The ocean, soil and forests are the world’s largest carbon sinks. A carbon source releases carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.
What are the 5 main contributors to carbon footprint?
The biggest contributors to carbon footprints are: food, consumption, transport and household energy. Food is a major contributor to carbon footprints, and meat in particular is a problem. Livestock farming is responsible for a significant amount of greenhouse gas emissions, with beef being one of the largest contributors.
What are 5 of the biggest sources of carbon emissions on Earth?
Globally, the primary sources of greenhouse gas emissions are electricity and heat (31%), agriculture (11%), transport (15%), forestry (6%) and manufacturing (12%). Energy production of all types accounts for 72 percent of all emissions.
What is the biggest contributor to carbon footprint?
The largest source of greenhouse gas emissions from human activities in the United States is the burning of fossil fuels for electricity, heat, and transportation.
What are the 8 categories under carbon footprint?
We analyze the contribution of 8 categories: construction, shelter, food, clothing, mobility, manufactured goods, services and trade.
