Climate Crisis Resource Links
This page has links to resources and information about climate crisis. There are many resources available on the web but these are ones we use often. Check back for additional ones.
IPCC – International Panel on Climate Change
This is a UN sponsored panel that was founded in 1988 and produces widely read reports on the current outlook for climate change approximately every five to seven years. The last report (AR5) was published in 2014 and the next one is expected in 2022.
IPCC Special Report on Global Warming of 1.5 °C (October 2018)
Wikipedia articles on the IPCC and the Special Report
Carbon Footprint Calculators
There are many carbon footprint calculators on the web but they are not all the same. Some, like the EPA calculator, do not account for air travel which is often the biggest contributor to individual carbon use. In order to do a precise calculation, you have to enter a lot of information which can be difficult to track down. But most calculators will use averages based on your household size and zip code which makes it quick to use and still reasonably useful. Many calculators are from organizations that also sell carbon offsets. That doesn’t seem to affect the results but you want to be cautious.
CoolClimate Network is a university – government – business – NGO partnership at the University of California, Berkeley. It provides tools for understanding carbon emissions including a carbon calculator. It is pretty complete in what it measures and you can enter detailed information where you have it and use averages for your household size and zip code where you don’t. They do not sell offsets.
The EPA carbon calculator estimates your household carbon emissions but does not include air travel. It is easy to use but pretty basic. It goes without saying that the government is not selling carbon offsets.
Atmosfair is a German organization that sells carbon offsets for air travel but has the best air travel calculator we’ve found. They also have much useful information for those who want to delve into how aircraft emissions at cruising level affect our climate much more than ground-level emissions.
Terrapass is another organization that sells carbon offsets. Their carbon calculator estimates transportation emissions, including air travel. Unfortunately, other than heating, it ignores household emissions.
Climate Organizations
350.org founded in 2008 by Bill McKibben and some university friends with the intent of building a global climate movement. It is named after 350 parts per million, the safe concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.
350 PDX is a local affiliate of 350.org focused on climate justice, transition from fossil fuel, and support for fossil fuel divestment at the state and local level.
Sierra Club long-time environmental organization founded in 1892. They advocate for environmental protection, fighting climate change, and fight for environmental and social justice. Unfortunately they continue to sponsor international trips which emit tons of carbon just in the transportation.
Other Resources
The state of Oregon publishes the energy mix for different electricity utilities in the state. Click on the tabs in the infographic for more details. Both Pacific Power and PGE use significant amounts of coal-generated electricity with Pacific Power much worse than PGE.
Both Portland General Electric and Pacific Power offer Green Power programs to reduce your dependence on coal-generated electricity.
ReplaceNow is a local Portland organization focused on replacing household fossil fuel use with electricity. It has clear explanations of different aspects of household energy use and has links to local resources.