Skip to main content

Our Products
Whom We Serve
Our Value
About Us
Blog
Contact us

Our Products
Whom We Serve
Our Value
About Us
Blog
Contact us

Considering Context: Modeling Energy Policy After California

Written by Brennon Martin on September 5, 2024. Posted in Uncategorized.

What’s the problem with this statement? “Leaders at all levels of government in China and the United States can look to California as an example of making progress on climate action without national or international action.” Carnegie Endowment for International Peace

One word: Context. It assumes that the conditions in California are the same as everywhere else. But is that true?

According to Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in 2017 (the only year for which data was available for all three regions), the percentage of all energy generation represented by coal and petroleum was 0.5% coal and 49.3% petroleum in California, 56.6% coal and 19.5% petroleum in Wyoming, and 63.3% coal and 19.3% petroleum in China.

Yet, the portion of energy consumed for two different uses in each region was 24% industry and 50% transport in California, 54% industry and 30% transport in Wyoming, and 61% industry and 14% transport in California. Based on a percentage of the total, there are clearly big differences in how these regions generate and consume energy.

Percentages of the total are only part of the story. In absolute terms, China’s industrial sector consumed almost 40x the energy as that of California. California consumed 8x the energy for transportation per person compared to China. Wyoming outpaced California by 2.5x for transportation energy use per person.

Let’s dig deeper on the relationship between coal and industry, where China looks like a big “offender” and transportation, where California has mandated that all light-duty vehicles must be zero emission by 2035.

To extend battery life and range, EVs (the only zero emission vehicles widely available) must be lightweight. What makes an EV lightweight? Using aluminum rather than steel components. Who is the largest smelter of aluminum in the world? China, by a margin of 4x. What energy source is used for smelting aluminum in China? You guessed it - coal.

So #explainitlikeImfive, in what way is California a model for places like China or Wyoming to follow? How is California’s mandate not simply shifting emissions generation to a different step in the value chain?

How can China not take offense when they are compared to a place with a small fraction of its industrial footprint? Finally, at 1/68 the number of people, should the tiny population of Wyoming really be held to the same auto emissions standards at California?

Context matters! When leadership teams are making decisions, treating every region, division, or situation the same is a recipe for resistance and resentment. At Tilt Global, we empower teams to factor in the complex dynamics of context differences to make better decisions.

Previous
Next

Tilt Global: We empower change™

Copyright © 2024 Tilt Global Decisions, Inc. - All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy

To Top