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https://grist.org/energy/in-juneau-alaska-a-carbon-offset-project-thats-actually-working/>
"When Kira Roberts moved to Juneau, Alaska, last summer, she immediately
noticed how the town of 31,000 changes when the cruise ships dock each morning.
Thousands of people pour in, only to vanish by evening. As the season winds
down in fall, the parade of buses driving through her neighborhood slows, and
the trails near her home and the vast Mendenhall Glacier no longer teem with
tourists.
“That unique rhythm of Juneau is really striking to me,” she said. “It’s just
kind of crazy to think that this is all a mile from my house.”
But Mendenhall is shrinking quickly: The 13-mile-long glacier has retreated
about a mile in the past 40 years. Getting all those tourists to Juneau — some
1.5 million this summer by cruise ship alone — requires burning the very thing
contributing to its retreat: fossil fuels.
In an effort to mitigate a portion of that CO2, some of those going whale
watching or visiting the glacier are asked to pay a few dollars to counter
their emissions. The money goes to the Alaska Carbon Reduction Fund, but
instead of buying credits from some distant (and questionable) offset project,
the nonprofit spends that cash installing heat pumps, targeting residents like
Roberts who rely upon oil heating systems.
Heat pumps are “a no-brainer” in Juneau’s mild (for Alaska) winters, said Andy
Romanoff, who administers the fund. Juneau’s grid relies on emissions-free
hydropower, so electricity is cheaper and less polluting than oil heat. They
also save residents money — Roberts said she was paying around $500 a month on
heating oil, and has seen her electricity bill climb just $30.
“The financial difference is huge,” she said."
Via Kenny Chaffin.
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
