The California Carbon Challenge (game)

[Sirveri]

http://www.cacarbonchallenge.org/pages/overview

YOUR CHALLENGE
How Should California Address Climate Change?
The California Carbon Challenge is a simulation of some tough choices policymakers face in seeking to address climate change.

In 2006, California passed the Global Warming Solutions Act (AB 32) which requires California to reduce its emissions of CO2 and other greenhouse gasses to a specified target by the year 2020. The California Carbon Challenge lets you decide how to reach the state’s greenhouse gas emissions reduction goal. Some decisions have already been made by state officials, but you can choose whatever policy choices you like. How will you reduce greenhouse gas emissions?

This is a game made by a CA think tank called Next 10. It's interesting because it shows real life options for carbon emission reductions and how much they would be expected to cost at the government level. Or at least options currently on the table. It also provides information about the options in a 'voter pamphlet' style with pros and cons by each side. The startling thing about it is just how cheap it is to fight global warming, relatively to it's potential future costs, if we do something NOW.

Methodology: http://www.cacarbonchallenge.org/carbon_challenge/California_Climate_Challenge_Methodology.pdf

x/posted from CA state forum.

[wtmusic]

1. Thanks - thought provoking. nt

[Socialistlemur]

2. Bunch of good ideas, like most of them except for

...the solar panels

....the cap and trade

....forcing people to use electric cars or plug in hybrids (this one sure sounds prescriptive).

The other ideas are reasonable in general. I don't think global warming is such an urgent issue, but we are running out of fossil fuels and we do need to start changing how much energy we use until we figure out something.

[Sirveri]

3. Cap and trade is arguably one of the most cost effective reductive mechanisms available.

at least according to that program and the research the put into it.

But since it's a game you can pick what you want and how you want to achieve emissions reductions. You can annihilate emissions (90% reduction) for a measly ten billion dollars in the most prosperous state in the union (we're something like 9-11% of the US GDP). That's food for thought, we could cut US National greenhouse emission by 90% for 100-200 Billion dollars if it scales properly (not all of which would be borne by the government, large amounts come from individuals and businesses). Which is a third of the defense budget for a single year, and it would create massive employment opportunities during the retrofit.

The thing I like about these 'games' that next 10 releases is that they source their research so you can delve deeper into the subject if you choose to do so. A large number of their data points appear to come from a non-profit group called blue sky. So you can dig and find an agenda. It's also a mildly entertaining way to get a little bit more education about the subject and potentially expose others to it.