Saturday, 16 May 2015

calculating emissions

Heres the story I wrote for Sunday on emissions of greenhouse gases in Alaska. The headline, played big above the fold, got me one nasty phone call from a man who said he burned only 5 gallons of fuel oil a winter and lived here a lot longer than I, which Im sure is true.

Alaskans pump, treat and ship millions of barrels of oil a week. They make jet fuel and put it in planes carrying cargo around the world. They drive, watch TV and warm their homes in frigid temperatures.

Add it all up and Alaskans turn into greenhouse gas pigs. Per capita, Alaska residents each year emit more than three times as much of the gases linked to global climate change as people in the rest of the country, according to a study completed in February by the Center for Climate Strategies. . . .

Click here for the whole story.
NPR did an interesting story recently on the effort to track down greenhouse gas emissions records nationally. Basically, there isnt comprehensive reporting in the U.S. like there is in Canada, but the federal government does keep track of carbon dioxide coming from power plants.
Lots of Web sites have carbon footprint calculators, including the EPAs and BPs, but my favorite is Planet Slayers, which adds a bit of humor to an otherwise humorless topic. Well worth a visit.
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