Greenhouse Gas Emissions Far Higher than Projected
County Misses Its Target By a Whopping 29 Points
Some very bewildered and exasperated county supervisors spent Tuesday morning trying to wrap their arms around one stubborn, incongruous fact: Greenhouse gas emissions released in unincorporated Santa Barbara County were 14 percent higher in 2016 than they were in 2007. Based on the county’s Energy and Climate Action Plan — also known as ECAP — those emissions should have dropped by 15 percent. In other words, the county is 29 percentage points away from where its planning policies say it should be.
Fifth District Supervisor Steve Lavagnino — who represents the Santa Maria area — was most incredulous. How could a place so famous for its environmental consciousness and regulatory zeal have fallen so far below its goal, he wondered, especially when the state as a whole is hitting its emission reduction marks? “It’s just counter common sense,” he exclaimed. First District Supervisor Das Williams had an idea. “One possible explanation is that we’re poseurs,” he said, “that we talk about it but don’t follow through.”
Williams said anyone observing traffic would see that 97 percent of all motorists drive alone. “It’s off the charts,” he said. The single largest generator of greenhouse gases in Santa Barbara County is traffic — 56 percent. From 2007 to 2016, that tonnage jumped by 12 percent. “It’s VMT,” Williams stated, bureaucratic lingo for vehicle miles traveled. Even with cleaner fuels and more efficient cars, the increased number of miles driven translates into more emissions. The most dramatic percentage gains took place in the construction and agriculture industries — which jumped by 36 and 32 percentage points, respectively. The only sectors in which emissions actually dropped were in solid waste and water treatment.
