Yesterday, undergraduates expressed their desire to University of California's administration for transparency on the University's use of fossil fuel. The students do not want glossy reports. They want where, what, and how much. This thread (1 of 2) is my response.

The students asked to be told how much CO2 is emitted by UC's smokestacks. Instead, they were given UC's annual sustainability report, which shows plots of funny CO2 accounting using credits from "biogas" and "offsets". That is not what they want.
https://www.ucop.edu/sustainability/policy-areas/annual-reports.html

UC is gearing up to declare in the coming years that it is carbon "neutral" because it bought "offsets"; UC Merced just did this. But, UC will still burn vast quantities of fossil fuel, emitting over a million tons of CO2 every year from its smokestacks. https://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/news/carbon-neutrality-ahead-schedule

UC's climate problem is the gas that it burns in its power plants, boilers, and buildings. These have real smokestacks that emit real CO2 that cannot be made to vanish with accounting. In response to the students, I will give here a pictorial guide to UC's biggest smokestacks.

UC Berkeley's gas plant (cogeneration plant) generates electricity and steam by burning methane gas. It is located on campus next to the Eucalyptus Grove. @SERCBerkeley
https://www.google.com/maps/@37.8703934,-122.2635082,50m/data=!3m1!1e3

Here is UC Berkeley's gas plant from street level. See the plume? On mornings like this, I can watch this plant contribute to global warming from my office -- the office where I research the effects of global warming.

The UC Davis Medical Center has a gas plant that burns methane to make electricity and steam at the corner of 49th St and 2nd Ave.
https://www.google.com/maps/@38.550551,-121.4489591,50m/data=!3m1!1e3

The UC Davis Medical Center gas plant's smokestack is cleverly disguised as a clock tower. What time is it? Time to shut down this gas plant.

UC Davis' main campus burns methane gas in four boilers to make steam to heat its buildings. These boilers are located across the street from Hawthorn Hall, a student dormitory.
https://www.google.com/maps/@38.5378667,-121.7584091,50m/data=!3m1!1e3

Here is UC Davis' single biggest source of CO2 emissions from street level.

UC Irvine's gas plant makes electricity and steam by burning methane gas.
https://www.google.com/maps/@33.6474895,-117.8468343,50m/data=!3m1!1e3

UC Irvine's gas plant pumps CO2 into the air next to the athletics building and the outdoor swimming pool, heated, no doubt, by steam from the gas plant.

UCLA burns methane gas in its large cogeneration plant across the street from UCLA Mattel Children's Hospital.
https://www.google.com/maps/@34.067208,-118.4460483,50m/data=!3m1!1e3

Here is UCLA's gas plant from street level. The irony of this is unintentional, I am sure.

UC Merced just declared itself carbon "neutral", but here is the campus building where a fossil fuel -- methane gas -- is still burned to make steam.
https://www.google.com/maps/@37.3665223,-120.4208962,50m/data=!3m1!1e3

UC Merced's heating plant is topped by a tall metal screen to hide the smokestacks. "Nothing to see here."

UC Riverside's "central utility plant" is a gas plant that burns methane to make electricity and steam near Olmsted Hall.
https://www.google.com/maps/@33.9713277,-117.3270445,50m/data=!3m1!1e3

UC Riverside's gas plant is located on Citrus Drive, hidden behind vegetation. "Again, nothing to see here."

UC San Diego's "central utilities plant" is a gas plant that burns methane to make electricity and steam directly behind York Hall.
https://www.google.com/maps/@32.8740485,-117.2392485,50m/data=!3m1!1e3

Here is UCSD's gas plant seen from street level. Apparently, Google Maps does not want you to know what this is.

UC San Francisco's "Parnassus central utility plant" is a gas plant that makes steam and electricity by burning methane.
https://www.google.com/maps/@37.7624704,-122.4567639,50m/data=!3m1!1e3

Here is UCSF's gas plant from the street level. To their credit, no effort was made to disguise the smokestacks.

UC Santa Cruz's gas plant, nestled among the trees, makes steam and electricity by burning methane.
https://www.google.com/maps/@37.0010317,-122.0608025,50m/data=!3m1!1e3

UCSC's global-warming maker is an oddity among UC's gas plants: it is proudly named the "F Louis Fackler Cogeneration Plant". No disrespect meant to Mr. Fackler, but it is time to shut down these gas plants.

But the undergrads are asking for things that are MUCH easier than shutting down these gas plants. First, they are asking for UC to report what comes out of its smokestacks (pure and simple: no offsets, no biogas, no funny accounting). Continued in thread 2 of 2...

Link to thread 2 of 2: https://twitter.com/romps/status/1337859392566419464