Page 1 of 3 ER 100/200N, Fall 2007 Topics Covered: Policy Memo, Transportation, and Climate Change Problem Set #7 / Policy Memo Both Due December 6, 2007, 5pm LATE PROBLEM SETS WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED. LATE POLICY MEMOS WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED. Total Points: 160 Please do not attach your Policy Memo to Problem Set #7. Policy Memo – 100 Points Your policy memo should consist of: • A one-page summary of your main points and recommendations, addressed to a specific person or people. • Supporting material, up to four pages. This may include: additional text; tables; graphs; photos; and references. Guidelines for style and formatting: • Please cite all sources, including web pages (either as footnotes or in a list at the end). Uncited sources are plagiarism! • Use the active voice. Write concisely and directly. Emphasize your points up-front, rather than building up to them at the end. • Be as thorough as possible in researching the context of your proposal (e.g. previous legislation) and addressing possible objections. • Please see also the Policy Memo Pointers and samples on the ER100/200 website. Problem Set #7 – 60 Points 1. Estimating CO2 Emissions from the U.S. Transportation Sector (10 points) In this question, we estimate the total CO2 emissions from US cars in 1996 and 2006. The density of gasoline is 739 grams/L, the chemical formula for 'standard' gasoline is C8H18, and in 1996 2.9 billion barrels of gasoline were consumed in the US. Look up the total gasoline consumption for 2006 online at the US Energy Information Administration (http://www.eia.doe.gov). a) What was the annual percentage increase in gasoline consumption over the 1996–2006 decade? (3 points) b) In 2006, how many short tons of CO2 were emitted due to gasoline combustion in the US? (5 points) c) Given that the US emits 5.5 billion tons of CO2 annually, how do emissions from gasoline use (mostly by cars) compare with total annual CO2 emissions? (2 points)Page 2 of 3 2. Climate Change & You (25 points) Chris Jones, a recent ERG Masters grad, has created a spreadsheet-based tool for individuals to estimate all direct and indirect emissions of GHGs in CO2 equivalent units resulting from their primary energy related choices: transportation, food, housing (including energy use), goods and services, and waste. Go to Chris’ website: http://consumerfootprint.org/ and spend some time exploring to understand the basic logic of what the site does (you’ll need to have Macromedia Flash installed). There are five separate sectors: Transport, Housing, Food, Goods, and Services. Fill out the carbon calculator with your individual information for each sector. Please be as honest as possible (the information will be kept confidential). Go to the Summary tab and save your answers. a) What is the ratio of the highest category (e.g. housing, food, etc.) of your emissions to the lowest? What is the ratio of your total emissions to the national average of 20 tons CO2 per person per year? What is the ratio of your total emissions to the global average of 3.8 tons CO2 per person per year? (10 points) b) What do you find most surprising about your results? Please explain in a short paragraph. (5 points) c) What lifestyle changes would you have to make in order to emit no more than the global per capita average of 3.8 tons of CO2? To do this, change the values you entered in the spreadsheet until your total emissions are below 4 tons CO2. Try to make realistic choices. What do the results say about how your lifestyle compares to the lifestyles of the majority of people on the planet? Could you live at or below the global average? Please explain in one short paragraph (5 points). d) What if, starting Jan 1, 2007, everyone suddenly started living like the average American at 20 tons CO2? How quickly would we reach what many climate scientists consider to be the dangerous level of 500 ppm (parts per million) of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere? Assume the oceans will continue to absorb about half of the CO2 emitted, so the atmospheric concentration of CO2 increases by one ppm CO2 for every 2.12 GtC emitted. (5 points)Page 3 of 3 3. Carbon Intensity of Electricity Generation (25 points) Carbon Monitoring for Action (CARMA) is a database and website developed by the Center for Global Development, a Washington, D.C. think tank. The website provides the user with data and maps of electricity generation around the world, including MWh of electricity produced annually and short tons of carbon dioxide produced. These two pieces of information are combined in the “Intensity” statistic for every power plant in their database, which is in units of pounds of carbon dioxide per MWh of electricity produced. a) Go to http://carma.org. Have a look around first – you can zoom into those power plants that produce the most CO2 on the homepage, and if you click on the satellite photo (or hybrid) you can even see the plant. In a sentence or two, where are the 50 highest CO2 producing power plants (these are shown in the first map on the homepage)? What continent (other than Antarctica) has none of the top 50 CO2 producing plants? In a couple sentences, explain why you think this continent has few large CO2 producing plants? (8 points) Now let’s look at our Alameda County. Click on the “Geographic Regions” tab at the top, and then the “Dig Deeper” button on the right. Click on “By County” in the list below the red “USA Only,” then on “California”, “Alameda”, and “View all power plants”. b) Of the top ten power plants ranked by MWh, how many are listed as producing no emissions? What is the energy source for these plants? (3 points) Now click on “Go to details” (above where you clicked on “View all power plants” before) c) What is the carbon intensity for Alameda County (be sure to use the correct units here)? For California? For the United States? (4 points) d) Your carbon intensity for California should be significantly different from the US as a whole. CARMA’s stated purpose is to “equip individuals with the information they need to forge a cleaner, low-carbon future.” In one or two paragraphs, give two reasons why CARMA’s carbon intensity for California may be an over or underestimate of the CO2 emissions that California electricity consumers are responsible for? (10