BY DAVID E. HANSON
Los Alamos
In regards to my letter of July 14
https://losalamosreporter.com/2024/07/14/los-alamos-climate-action-
plan-whats-missing-whats-misleading-and-what-we-must-do/, Ms. Barns takes issue with my claim that the Climate Action Plan is misleading and states that I was in error by my statement that “in 2022 the US emitted 6,343 MTCO2”. The meaning of the term MTCO2 is confusing. When I did a google search for MTCO2, I found the term defined as both ‘metric’ tons of CO 2 and millions of tons of CO 2 . Since I didn’t see a definition for the term on the presentation slide, I had to choose and I went with ‘millions of tons of CO 2 . This was the definition that I found was used for the annual CO 2 emissions for the US in 2022.
Ms Barns continues, “More important, for me, is the calculation of per capita carbon emissions…Los Alamos residents are responsible for 20 MTCO2 per person, more than 4 times that of the world average … The CAP outlines ways we can lower these emissions without impacting our quality of life (and in many ways, improving it!) For me, this is the fair thing to do“. I found the last sentence, “this is the fair thing to do” very surprising, perhaps revealing. Taken at face value, it implies that she thinks that the per capita carbon emission for Los Alamos residents is the most important response to climate change that the County needs to address. She argues that CO 2 emissions should be closer to the global average. It appears to me that this was the rationale for the CAP being so heavily focused on reducing our CO 2 emissions. That is, the goal of achieving ‘average’ is an end in itself – not public health or preventing property damage.
While I agree that reducing our CO 2 emissions could be a good idea, the justification should be its economic benefit to the residents, not the pursuit of an ideology. However, I also believe that it is far more important for the County to protect public health and property from extreme weather events. And there are also some pretty good reasons why Los Alamos might have CO 2
emissions that are higher than the world average. The US is the preeminent global economy and acknowledged leader of the free world. Los Alamos County is host to LANL which plays a prominent role in our national security.
As I pointed out in my letter of July 14, 2024, these warming-induced weather
events are happening NOW. For example, see the recent news release [https://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/4782481-older-americans-
heat-health-safety-risks/].
The Climate Action Plan must address how the county will prepare and respond to these near-term public health threats. A single small county cutting its CO 2 emissions will not have any impact on its climate.
The issue arising from the confusion over the units used in the presentation wasn’t the only aspect of the Climate Action Plan, (CAP) that I found to be misleading. On Page 8 of the CAP, it claims that the plan will reduce greenhouse gas emissions from Los Alamos County by 100% by 2050. However, I recall from a previous presentation that I attended, the Cascadia consultant saying that LANL isn’t a participant in the CAP. LANL is probably the largest single source of CO 2 emissions in the county, certainly if commuter vehicle traffic is included. Also, it isn’t clear exactly what is included in the cost estimates on slide 18 (ranging from $25k to $200k for the Priority Actions). Do these costs include what the residents will be forced to pay if the CAP is adopted? The County should clarify these questions for the public well before the CAP is presented to Council for approval this fall.
I include the suggestions from my previous letter.
What actions are needed to fix the Climate Action Plan
- Delay the CAP until it can be amended to include the important lifesaving responses to possible near-term extreme weather events from climate change.
- Correct the focus and over-emphasis on CO 2 emissions tracking and reduction.
- Engage a qualified public health consultant to guide the planning of measures related to the impact of climate change on the health of our community, since the County has no expertise in this area.
If YOU agree that public health measures should be the main focus of the Climate Action Plan, take the time to send your opinion/ comments to the County. Here are the email addresses that you can send them to:
linda.matteson@lacnm.us , countycouncil@lacnm.us