The world's climate is changing and California is now being affected in both dramatic and subtle ways. Get an in-depth look at the science behind climate change as we explore the environmental changes taking place throughout the state.


A carbon footprint is a measure of the impact our activities have on the environment, and in particular climate change. It relates to the amount of GHG (greenhouse gas) emissions produced in our day-to-day lives through burning fossil fuels for electricity, heating and transportation etc.

1. The primary footprint is a measure of our direct emissions of CO2 from the burning of fossil fuels including domestic energy consumption and transportation (e.g. car and plane). We have direct control of these.

2. The secondary footprint is a measure of the indirect CO2 emissions from the whole lifecycle of products we use - those associated with their manufacture and eventual breakdown. To put it very simply – the more we buy the more emissions will be caused on our behalf.



Today it is more important than ever before to minimise your footprint.
Not only are the developed western countries producing more and more carbon emissions, but there is a growing problem as the population in Africa and Asia start living improved lifestyles which consume more energy.

Here's a list of simple things you can do immediately
These will start to reduce your contribution to global warming. The items in this list will cost you no money at all and will in fact save you money.

  • The single largest impact you can have as an individual is to drive less by car-pooling, biking, walking, or using public transit.
  • Maintaining correct air pressure in your car's tires can significantly increase fuel efficiency. Check tire pressure once a month.
  • Replace all incandescent light bulbs with compact fluorescents and save about $100 over each bulb's life. Find low-priced bulbs by looking for PG&E "Save" stickers on bulbs at Walgreen's, Rite Aid and other local stores.
  • If you buy new appliances, make sure to buy energy-efficient models labeled "Energy Star." These models can cut energy use in half. Look for rebates here. A 2009 federal tax credit is also available for some EnergyStar products.
  • Stop buying expensive and toxic cleaning products. You can accomplish nearly all household cleaning and maintenance tasks with vinegar, baking soda, and boric acid. Download natural cleanser recipes here.
  • Unplugging electronics, including microwaves and chargers, when not in use will shave about 5 percent off your electric bill.
  • Buy only what you'll eat. Agriculture is a major contributor to greenhouse gases, and Americans waste at least 20 percent of their food.
  • Eat less red meat, and buy only grass-fed or organic meat. Feedlot operations produce large amounts of methane, a potent greenhouse gas, and pollute water. Find tips on sustainable meat eating on Gastronicity.

  • Avoid processed foods whenever possible. Processing and packaging make processed foods' environmental footprint bigger than natural foods', and many contain palm oil, production of which is the primary cause of deforestation in Asian rainforests.
  • Wear a sweater this winter. Invest in an Energy Star programmable thermostat, and set it to 65 - 67 degrees when you are home. You'll make a big dent in your heating bills and reduce your carbon footprint.
  • You can save up to 30 percent on your energy bills by sealing all leaks in your house using caulk or foam. Learn how to locate leaks here.
  • Keep your hot water heater set at 120 degrees, or the "normal" setting. Water heating accounts for nearly 15 percent of your monthly bill.
  • Perform routine maintenance on your furnace, including filters and ducts, to keep heating costs down. Learn more here.
  • Wash only full loads of laundry and use natural detergent. Using the cold cycle can reduce your electricity use by 90 percent. Clean the lint filter before you put clothes in the dryer, and remove them as soon as they're dry.
  • Use the dishwasher! A full Energy Star model uses less water than hand washing does. Just be sure to choose the air-dry setting.
  • Maintain freezer temperature at 0 degrees, and refrigerator temperature at 40 degrees (but no warmer).
  • Replace as much of your yard as possible with native plants that require minimal watering. Experts believe California is entering a serious drought. Find SFGate's tips on water-conserving landscaping here.
  • If you're in the market for furniture, buy used. If you must buy new, avoid rainforest hardwoods including mahogany and teak.
  • Use paperless bill-paying for all of your bills, and ask about paperless direct deposit stubs at your place of work.
  • Ask the IT department at your office set computers to turn off after an hour and make double-sided printing the default setting.
  • Dispose of old electronics using a certified recycling program. Otherwise, your gadget may be shipped to China and dumped in a landfill there. Alameda and San Francisco counties offer services and information.
  • Make sure to take advantage of your city's recycling and composting programs. Many recyclables still end up in landfills. Learn more about San Francisco's program here, and Oakland's here.
  • Travel ready! Carry a portable mug for coffee stops and canvas or recycled-plastic bags to do grocery shopping. You can get a shopping tote by donating to some green groups or by making one yourself.

The following is a list of items that may take an initial investment
They should pay for themselves over the course of 1-4 years through savings on your energy bills.

  • Fit energy saving light bulbs
  • Install thermostatic valves on your radiators
  • Insulate your hot water tank, your loft and your walls
  • 35% of heat generated in the house is lost through the walls.
  • Replace your old fridge / freezer (if it is over 15 years old), with a new one with energy efficiency rating of "A"
  • Replace your old boiler with a new energy efficient condensing boiler

Travel less and travel more carbon footprint friendly.
  • Car share to work, or for the kids school run
  • Use the bus or a train rather than your car
  • For short journeys either walk or cycle
  • See if your employer will allow you to work from home one day a week
  • Next time you replace your car - check out diesel engines. With one of these you can even make your own Biodiesel fuel. Find out more about Biodiesel.
  • When on holiday - hire a bicycle to explore locally rather than a car
  • When staying in a hotel turn the lights and air-conditioning off when you leave your hotel room
  • Ask for your room towels to be washed every other day, rather than every day


As well as your primary carbon footprint, there is also a secondary footprint that you cause through your buying habits.
If you buy foods out of season at the super market, then these
will have either been flown or shipped in from far away - all
adding to your carbon footprint.

  • Reduce your consumption of meat
  • Don't buy bottled water if your tap water is safe to drink (especially if it has been shipped from far away)
  • Buy local fruit and vegetables, or even try growing your own
  • Don't buy fresh fruit and vegetables which are out of season, they may have been flown in
  • Try to buy products made closer to home (look out and avoid items that are made in the distant lands)
  • Buy organic produce
  • Don't buy over packaged products
  • Think carefully about the type of activities you do in your spare time. Do any of these cause an increase in carbon emissions?

In addition there is your footprint at work.
Do you leave your computer and monitor on when you are away
from your desk? Do you leave the lights on when you leave the
office? Do you print documents unnecessarily - and could you
print two pages to a side and double sided?


Duality: A situation or nature that has two states or parts that are
complementary or opposed to each other         -Encarta Dictionary.

There is so much debate, even among
scientists, as to the effects humans are
having on the global ecosystem. Whether
you are observing the crazy weather, sitting
in traffic on the freeway, or overlooking an
amazing view of the Santa Rosa
—Petaluma Valley only to look  through a
layer of smog, most of us sense that
something is going on.

Most scientists are now accepting the fact
that there is a global warming taking place.

The majority of those scientists are satisfied
enough with the evidence to point the finger
at human actions.


Historically, human activities released very few gases into the atmosphere, but since the Industrial Revolution, big increases in population growth, fossil fuel burning, and deforestation have all affected the mixture of gases in the atmosphere. Of special concern is the buildup of “greenhouse gases” which prevent heat from escaping the earth’s atmosphere and thus lead to an increase in the Earth’s temperature.

To what degree the Earth’s climate is changing is not certain, but it certainly seems to be because of us. It is now believed that in addition to the release of greenhouse gases, there is a second outcome of our actions which has the opposite effect of global warming.

Global Dimming describes the reduction in the amount of solar heat that is reaching the earth’s surface. The effect varies by location but over three decades (1960- 1990) there has been an estimated worldwide reduction of about 5% in the amount of sunlight that is reaching the earth’s surface. Among other effects, the reduction in solar energy can result in cooler daytime temperatures.

What is causing Global Dimming? One cause comes from the effects of our air pollution on clouds. Just like the sun reflecting off a lake, clouds can act like mirrors in the sky that reflect the sun’s light back into space (the opposite of what greenhouse gases do). Clouds naturally form when tiny molecules of water attach onto small particles in the air (such as floating pollen). But instead of attaching onto natural particles (like pollen), water is now attaching itself to man-made air pollution and when this happens, smaller droplets form in greater numbers.

This is just like increasing the number of tiny mirrors in the sky. In fact, these polluted clouds are up to six times more reflective than unpolluted ones. By reflecting more sunlight back into space these more reflective clouds cut down the sunlight reaching the Earth’s surface - hence contributing to global dimming.

Also, just like clouds, those vapor trails you
see behind an airplane reflect the sun’s rays
away from earth back into space. It may
sound odd, but one reason that we now
know this is because of “Sept. 11th.” After
the attacks, all airline flights were grounded.
With no airplanes in the sky, and no vapor
trails polluting the air, scientists found that
temperatures actually went up. Scientists
attributed this to the global dimming affect of
vapor trails.

Recent research shows that global dimming
has been masking the true impacts of global
warming.  This means that global warming is
much worse than we thought.  The
scientists could not “feel” this effect with
their scientific instruments because global
dimming was offsetting the effects.  As
global dimming declines, the effects of global warming will exponentially increase.

Global dimming, which is the gradual de-
crease in the amount of sunlight and solar
energy reaching the earth's surface, is
caused mostly by man-made air pollution
like smog.  Global warming, which is the
gradual increase in the earth’s surface temp-
erature, is caused mostly by an increase in
greenhouse gases from the burning of fossil
fuels. 

One of the main effects of global dimming,
which is the exact opposite effect global
warming has, is that it lowers the earth’s
temperature.  For this reason, scientists
now believe that for the past 40 years,
global dimming has been masking the true
effects of global warming.


What this means is that the earth’s surface
temperature is almost certainly  more sens-
itive to increases in greenhouse gases and
global warming is more immediate than we
had thought. 

We are learning how to fix some of the problems that are creating global dimming, but fixing the global warming will be much more difficult.  There are many climate models that try to estimate how much the earth’s temperature will rise in the next 100 years due to the burning of fossil fuels. 

There are a lot of factors that go into these calculations, but most models seem to average an increase of about 5 degrees F by 2100. 

As if that were not a big enough problem, when that 5 degree estimate is adjusted for global dimming (remember, global dimming has been hiding the true effects), the number rises, possibly up to 10 degrees!  With that kind of a change in temperature, sea levels will rise and towns like Petaluma could be underwater, while many parts of the world would be uninhabitable.

What can you do?
At the national, local and global level, change is taking place to address this problem but the United States is the number one polluter of greenhouse gases.

The United States is the number one polluter of greenhouse gases and will thus need to take the lead in reducing global levels.  Although laws and technologies will continue to appear in order to achieve this goal, it is up to each of us to reduce our own emissions.

There are 4 main areas where you may be able to make improvements:

On the road: As tribal members learned at our Coping with Cars workshop, you can reduce emissions and save money by running all you errands at once, carpooling, keeping your car tuned up, and properly inflating your tires.

Recycle: Make sure all your recyclables make it to the right recycle bin; look for food wrapped in recycled packaging, and buy goods made from recycled materials.

In the Home: Save money by turning off lights when you are not in a room, insulating your home, and replace old appliance with newer energy efficient appliances (look for the Energy Star label).

In the Yard: Strategically plant trees in your yard to provide shade in the summer and added shelter from the elements in the winter to reduce energy bills and save money.  Trees also store carbon and produce oxygen.

Remember, you do make a difference.  You are adding to the levels of greenhouse gases and thus adding to global warming.  Why not lessen your load, and save money doing it?
Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria
ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION DEPARTMENT
Global Climate Change
Picture Provided and copyright by: Billy Chasen,
http://epod.usra.edu/archive/epodviewer.php3?oid=173440
GLOBAL WARMING - CAUSES AND EFFECTS
Click for Rohnert Park, CA Forecast
Weather Forecast

QUEST on KQED Public Media.
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C L I M A T E   W A T C H:   C A L I F O R N I A   A T   T H E   T I P P I N G   P O I N T


With the race on to reduce global warming and fossil fuel dependency, experts in alternative energy see a bright future for renewable resources like wind, solar, hydro-power and geothermal energy. QUEST and Climate Watch team up to look at the "Smart Grid" of the future and how it might be improved to more cleanly and efficiently keep the lights on in California.
C L I M A T E   W A T C H:   U N L O C K I N G   T H E   G R I D

QUEST on KQED Public Media.
VIDEO HIGHLIGHT!
C L I M A T E   W A T C H:   U N L O C K I N G   T H E   G R I D
With the race on to reduce global warming and fossil fuel dependency, experts in alternative energy see a bright future for renewable resources like wind, solar, hydro-power and geothermal energy. QUEST and Climate Watch team up to look at the "Smart Grid" of the future and how it might be improved to more cleanly and efficiently keep the lights on in California.


Climate change is already affecting polar bears, walruses, belugas and Arctic foxes.
Find out how.
A   W A R M E R   W O R L D   F O R   A R C T I C   A N I M A L S


For years there's been buzz – both positive and negative – about generating ethanol fuel from corn. But thanks to recent developments, the Bay Area is rapidly becoming a world center for the next generation of green fuel alternatives. Meet the scientists investigating the newest methods for converting what we grow into what makes us go.
B I O F U E L S :   B E Y O N D   E T H A N O L

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n the early 1900's, researchers from UC Berkeley's Museum of Vertebrate Zoology traveled around California and created detailed records of the wildlife they found. A century later, scientists are revisiting the same sites – including Yosemite National Park - to see if the fauna has changed. They've found that global warming is already having an impact..
R E S U R V E Y I N G   C A L I F O R N I A ' S   W I L D L I F E   1 0 0  
Y E A R S   L A T E R - Original Air Date: Tuesday, Apr 15, 2008

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