Climate Science and Policy

Human activities are changing the earth’s natural greenhouse effect. Since the industrial revolution, fossil fuel combustion has increased the concentration of greenhouse gases, such as carbon dioxide and methane, in the atmosphere. Changes in atmospheric carbon dioxide have already caused approximately 1.0 °C of global warming above pre-industrial levels. To avoid the most devastating consequences of anthropogenic climate change, universities, businesses, governments, states, and countries have made ambitious commitments to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. This capstone project offers a potential solution an app called Triton Green, to aid UC San Diego in meeting its carbon neutrality goals. The app employs a bottom-up approach, by encouraging individuals to switch to sustainable travel behaviors by using an interactive game with variable rewards. Triton Green applies digital technologies to integrate a range of sustainable modes of transportation into daily life. As part of the project, a commuter behavior survey was conducted among graduate students at UC San Diego to get a solid understanding of the current commuter habits, climate change attitudes, and motivations to take green travel options. The survey shows an inconsistency in personal climate change beliefs and daily commuter behavior. Based on the survey results, a blueprint of Triton Green was designed. Even though Triton Green could eventually help to reduce transportation emissions, combating anthropogenic climate change requires everyone, every state, and every nation to work together.