The Sound You Hear From The Media On This Issue...
See Part 1 here highlights the fuzzy math used to justify the work done in reducing carbon emissions. Here is Part 2, where the numbers get even fuzzier. Thanks again to Terry Franklin and the Virginia Green Menace for this analysis.
It gets even better, Roanoke County Citizens and Board of Supervisors!
Follow this:
In the Roanoke County 2008 Community Carbon Footprint report here http://www.roanokecountyva.gov/DocumentCenter/Home/View/871 it states, “..the total carbon footprint for Roanoke County in 2008 was calculated to be just over 1.8 million tons, a decrease of slightly less than 1% from the 1.82 million tons of the baseline year 2007.” And, “It should be noted that the 2007 baseline total has been amended downward slightly from 1.86 million to 1.82 million tons due to errors in the Natural Gas usage data and a reduction in the carbon emission coefficient for electricity based on AEP measurements.”
So, the bottom line is the Roanoke County baseline carbon footprint is 1.82 million tons. Remember that figure.
In the new Roanoke County 2010 Community Carbon Footprintreport here http://www.roanokecountyva.gov/DocumentCenter/Home/View/1061 it states, “The 2010 total was calculated to be just below 1.81 million tons, which marks a decrease of 1.2% from the 1.84 million tons for the baseline year of 2007.”
Huh? Somehow the 2007 baseline carbon footprint magically increased between the 2008 and 2010 reports?
The 2010 Carbon Footprint report goes on state, “Overall, carbon emissions have gone down by one point two percent (1.2%) and when that figure is adjusted for ten percent more heating and cooling degree day (to normalize the effect of
weather), we are right on target with a reduction of three point three percent (3.3%).”
So, if our calculations are correct (and we are using the correct 2007 baseline carbon footprint of 1.82 million tons) the report should have instead stated, “The 2010 total was calculated to be just below 1.81 million tons, which marks a decrease of 0.55% from the 1.82 million tons for the baseline year of 2007.” And, “when
that figure is adjusted for ten percent more heating and cooling degree day (to normalize the effect of weather), we are not on target with a reduction of only one point five percent 1.5%.”
Perhaps Dr. McGinnis and RC CLEAR should amend their report findings to the correct reduction in the County’s carbon footprint from the baseline report of 1.82 million tons! It should read 1.5%, not 3.3%!
(Editors Note: If you can’t trust them to honestly report simple numbers like this…how much more do you think these books are being cooked to show improvement? I mean this is the same group of folks that thinks handing out a couple of hundred fliers saved 200 tons of carbon emissions….)
And where is your local media as they bumble around congratulating themselves for accomplishing nothing…as usual no where to be found.
