Climate Science
Pacifica's CARP I
Pacifica's CARP II
What You Can Do I
What You Can Do II
100
The trapping of heat in Earth’s atmosphere by gases like CO2 and methane.
What is the Greenhouse effect?
100
The percentage of greenhouse gas emissions Pacifica reduced from 2005 to 2021.
What is 32%? (Page 11)
2005: 174,883 metric tons of GHGs
2021: 119,242 metric tons of GHGs
100
The Goal Category that this planned action supports: Work with Peninsula Clean Energy (PCE) to monitor and reduce opt-out rates; strive for 100% PCE participation of residents and PG&E customers within City boundaries.
What is Buildings and Energy, (Goal E1: Reduce greenhouse gases in buildings by 24% below 2021 levels by 2030.) (page 31)
(Seven other actions are part of the plan to support this goal.)
100
Given that almost all homes in Pacifica use Peninsula Clean Energy what other two changes to the home would allow homes and other buildings to reduce their GHG emissions the most.
What is ?
1. Switch from gas space heating to electric heat pumps. Natural gas furnaces and boilers burn fossil fuel directly. Replacing them with electric heat pumps achieving 300–400% efficiency. Bonus you get air conditioning too.
2. Switch from gas water heating to heat pump water heaters. Water heating is the second-largest gas load in most homes. Heat pump water heaters (HPWHs) are roughly 3–4x more efficient than resistance electric water heaters, and they eliminate gas use entirely. Bonus, you get air conditioning.
Typical Bay Area home already on clean electricity:
- Space heating (gas): ~40–50% of remaining GHGs
- Water heating (gas): ~30–40%
- Cooking (gas): ~5–10%
- Dryer, fireplaces, etc.: ~5–10%
100
Three things you can do to emit less GHGs as you move around.
What is?
1. Walk
2. Ride a bike
3. Ride a battery powered bike or scooter
4. Take transit: Bus, Shuttle or BART
5. Drive a ZEV or plug-in hybrid
6. Consolidate your trips
200
These are any three Greenhouse gases.
What are?
CO2, Methane, Nitrous Oxide,
Chloroflourocarbons (CFCs), Water Vapor
200
The single change that accounted for the biggest drop in Pacifica’s CO2 emissions.
What is Changing to Peninsula Clean Energy? (page 15)
This was 97% of the drop
200
The Goal Category that this planned action supports: Launch the creation in 2025 and initiate the development of a Transportation Management Plan (TDM) to be completed by 2030.
Work with San Mateo Transit Authority to explore traffic solutions that make make bus transit faster such as queue jumps and signal priority.
What is Transportation and Land Use, (page 35)
(Goal T1. Reduce vehicle miles traveled by 12% compared to 2021 compared to 2030 through increased public transit, walking, biking.) (There are 2 more actions supporting this goal and three other transportation goals)
200
These are the reason heat pumps take less energy.
What is?
1. They absorb heat from the air and move it either from outdoors to indoors in heating mode or or vice versa in cooling mode
2. They use coolant to move heat from one location to another.
3. Heat pumps use electricity primarily to move heat rather than generate it.
4. Heat pump water heaters are 2 to 3 times more efficient than gas water heaters.
200
The ages you need to be to get a Youth Clipper Card and a Senior Card.
What is?
Youth Card: 5-18?
Senior Card: 65 and above 
300
The Greenhouse Gas (GHG) that is is released through natural processes (like volcanic eruptions) and through human activities, such as burning fossil fuels and deforestation. It has increased 50% since the start of the industrial revolution primarily due to burning fossil fuels.
What is Carbon Dioxide?
300
The biggest source of Pacifica’s GHG emissions.
What is Transportation, Cars, Trucks? (page 16)
300
The Goal Category that this action supports: Assist residents in making home electrification upgrades by 1. streamlining the permit process for home electrification upgrades such as panel upgrades, and installation of heat pumps.
What is Buildings and Energy, (page 31)
(Goal E.1 Reduce GHG emissions from the Building Sector by 24% below 2021 levels by 2030.)
300
You can reduce creating methane in landfills this way.
What is put all food and plant waste in compost barrels, or create your own compost?
300
Two of the diet changes you can make to fight climate change.
What is?
1. Eat no or less beef. 
2. Eat more plant matter. 
400
The GHG that is produced by dumping food waste in landfills
What is methane?
400
Pacifica’s second biggest source of GHG
What is Buildings? (page 22)
400
The Goal Category that this action supports: Electrify the City's entire light duty fleet by 2035. Create EV buying guide for City vehicle purchases to mandate end of life vehicle conversion by 2035.
What is Transportation and Land Use (page 38) (Goal T4 Increase Pacifica EV use to 50% by 2030. This will save 15,506 metric tons of CO2.)
400
In addition to major changes like using Peninsula Clean Energy, installing heat pumps to heat and cool space instead of a gas furnace and switching from a gas water heater to a heat pump water heater, what are three other changes you could make to your home to reduce GHGs.
What is?
1. Use all LED lights.
2. Install better insulation & i
3. Switch to two pane insulated windows
4. Switch to an induction stove
5. Install solar panels.
400
List four functions a Heat Pump can perform.
What is?
1. Heat space
2. Cool space
3. Dry space
4. Fan space
5. Heat water
6. Combined heat water and space
500
These are four effects of climate change.
What are?
1. Overall warming trend
2. Weather extremes
3. Changes in precipitation patterns
4. Desertification
5. Thawing permafrost
6. More intense forest fires
7. Killing ocean corral and other sea life
8. Extinction of animal species.
9. Changes in ocean currents
500
Four categories of the Goals and Actions in the CARP.
What are? (page 19)
1. Buildings and Energy: 2 goals 11 actions
2. Transportation and Land Use: 4 goals 13 actions
3. Food and Consumption: 3 goals 15 actions
4. Resilience and Adaptation: 5 goals 24 actions
Totals: Goals: 14, Actions: 63
500
The Goal category that this action supports: Initiate research and planning for the installation and connection of microgrids and virtual power plants; Establish policies that encourage development of microgrids in new and existing building projects by December 2027.
What is Resilience and Adaptation (page 48) (Goal R3. Create a plan for distributed back-up renewable energy sources that are available to all Pacifica residents.)
500
This is the amount of CO2 that is produced by burning a 6.3 pound gallon of gas.
What is 20 pounds?
1. Gasoline molecules are made of carbon and hydrogen all bound together.
2. When gas burns, the carbon and the hydrogen in the gas molecule separate.
3. Two hydrogen atoms combine with one oxygen atom to form H2O or water.
4. Each carbon atom in gas combines with two oxygen atoms already in the air. This forms CO2
500
The SamTrans bus route that connects Terra Nova HS, Oddstad, Rosita & Lindamar Park and Ride
What is SamTrans Route 19?
