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GEOG LAB Week8 - Jocelyn Chen

This document summarizes key information from Jocelyn Chen's lab assignment on carbon emissions and renewable energy in California: 1) California ranks second in CO2 production in the US, with per capita emissions of 9.3 metric tons and total emissions of 359,130 thousand metric tons. 2) 35% of California's electricity in 2015 came from solar and wind. 3) The Ivanpah Solar Project eliminated 500,000 metric tons of CO2 annually, reducing California's 2014 emissions by 28%. However, its construction impacted 3374 desert tortoises.

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Hamna Shahid
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114 views2 pages

GEOG LAB Week8 - Jocelyn Chen

This document summarizes key information from Jocelyn Chen's lab assignment on carbon emissions and renewable energy in California: 1) California ranks second in CO2 production in the US, with per capita emissions of 9.3 metric tons and total emissions of 359,130 thousand metric tons. 2) 35% of California's electricity in 2015 came from solar and wind. 3) The Ivanpah Solar Project eliminated 500,000 metric tons of CO2 annually, reducing California's 2014 emissions by 28%. However, its construction impacted 3374 desert tortoises.

Uploaded by

Hamna Shahid
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© © All Rights Reserved
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Jocelyn Chen

GEOG 5
Week 4 Lab: People and Earth’s Ecosystems

Part One: Carbon Emissions and Renewable Energy


a) What is the per-capita value of emissions in metric tons?

The per-capita value of emissions in metric tons is 9.3.

b) What is the total value of CO2 emissions in thousands of metric tons?

The total value of CO2 emissions in thousands of metric tons is 359,130.

c) Where does California rank in terms of CO2 production in the United States?

California ranks in terms of CO2 production in the United States in second place after Texas.

Calculate your carbon footprint.

d) The average carbon footprint for an individual living in Los Angeles, CA.

The average carbon footprint for an individual living in Los Angeles, CA is 10.7 tons.

e) Your personal carbon footprint (as best you can)

My personal carbon footprint is 39 tons CO2eq/year.

f) What is the trend for GHG emissions in California since 2007, and by how much
since 2004?

There is a declining trend for GHG emissions in California since 2007 and 10% lower since
2014.

g) What percentage of emissions are produced through the “Electric Power” sector,
and how does that rank against the other sectors highlighted? (pages 2&3)

19% of emissions are produced through the “Electric Power” sector and it ranks on 3 rd number
against the other sectors highlighted.

h) Read the summary on Electric Power (pages 6 & 7). For 2015 (the latest data
available) what percentage of California’s in-state electricity production is
generated from solar and wind energy systems?

35% of California’s in-state electricity production is generated from solar and wind energy
systems in 2015.

i) When was Ivanpah completed? How much did it increase U.S. solar energy
production?
Ivanpah completed in January 2014. It increased 392-MW U.S. solar energy production.

j) How much energy does Ivanpah generate in a year?

Ivanpah generates 940,000 megawatt-hours of clean energy per year.

k) How many metric tons of CO2 emissions did Ivanpah eliminate each year? Using
your answer from Question 1B, what percent of all 2014 California CO2 emissions
did the Ivanpah eliminate?

Ivanpah eliminated 500,000 metric tons of CO2 emissions each year. Ivanpah eliminated 28% of
all 2014 California CO2 emissions.

Part Two: Solar Power vs. the Desert Tortoise


1) Describe three ways in which the Ivanpah Solar Project downplays the
environmental
impact/risk the plant poses to the Desert Tortoise.

Three ways in which the Ivanpah Solar Project downplays the environmental impact/risk the
plant poses to the Desert Tortoise are following:

 Juvenile “Head-Start” Care Program under which the juvenile tortoises (tortoises under
the size of 120 mm) would be given a specific “head-start” protection and care for 5
years.
 Translocation of Desert Tortoise back to their own natural habitat and most of those
tortoises would be in their actual home range after translocation.
 Long Term Monitoring of Desert Tortoise outside this project by tracking them as the
tortoises may be within a receiving area in the upcoming 5 years so that they can be
monitored.
2) How many tortoises do the WWP & the Bureau of Land Management report claim
will be impacted by the completed construction of the Ivanpah Solar Project, in
total?

The WWP & the Bureau of Land Management report claims 3374 tortoises will be impacted by
the completed construction of the Ivanpah Solar Project.

3) How does the author describe the idea of “translocation” as a conservation process,
and where does he source his quotes from?

The author says that the idea of translocation is not going to work. When someone is walking
while crying in front of the bulldozer and move cacti and animals out of the way, then the project
can never be a good idea. He sources his quotes from a biologist hired to save the tortoises at the
construction site who asked for anonymity.

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