Iowa

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To get to zero by 2050, Iowa must cut climate pollution by 4.9 million metric tons of C02 equivalent a year.

Emissions in Iowa

Million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (MMTCO2e) emissions

We can do it. Here's how.

CO2 Equivalent Emissions in Iowa by Source
🏭 Other: 56%🔌 Power: 21%🚗 Transport: 15%🏠 Buildings: 7%

    🏠 Buildings

    7% of emissions in Iowa comes from buildings.

    🏭 Other: 56%🔌 Power: 21%🚗 Transport: 15%🏠 Buildings: 7%

    Mostly from different types of heating.

    Gas furnace, gas water heater, gas stove

    80% of the pollution of your typical home comes from heating your space, water, and food.

    To stop this pollution, we need to replace our furnaces with electric heat pumps, electrify our water heaters, and cook with induction and electricity instead of gas.

    Electric heat pump, electric water heater, induction stove

    There are 2.1 million buildings in Iowa and 28% of building systems are already electrified.

    We need to electrify the remaining 1.5 million buildings in Iowa. That's around 54,000 per year.

    Percent of Building Systems electrifiedA chart showing the share of Building Systems that have already been electrified and still based in fossil fuel.28.27% have been electrified, and the remaining 71.73% are fossil fuel based.Building Systems ElectrifiedNot yet

    That will solve 7% of the problem.

    🏭 Other: 56%🔌 Power: 21%🚗 Transport: 15%🏠 Buildings: 7%

    🚗 Getting Around

    15% of emissions in Iowa comes from cars, trucks, and planes.

    🏭 Other: 56%🔌 Power: 21%🚗 Transport: 15%🏠 Buildings: 7%

    Mostly from our cars.

    To cut this pollution, if you have a car, your next one needs to be an electric vehicle (EV).

    Or try going car-free with public transit, bikes/e-bikes, or walking if it works for you.

    Gas emitting car being converted to electric car

    There are 1.2 million vehicles in Iowa and 2,000 are already electric (0.2% of the total).

    We need to electrify the remaining 1.2 million vehicles. That's around 42,000 a year.

    Percent of Vehicles electrifiedA chart showing the share of Vehicles that have already been electrified and still based in fossil fuel.0.2% have been electrified, and the remaining 99.8% are fossil fuel based.Vehicles ElectrifiedNot yet

    That will solve another 15% of the problem.

    🏭 Other: 56%🔌 Power: 21%🚗 Transport: 15%🏠 Buildings: 7%

    🔌 Power Generation

    21% of emissions in Iowa comes from making power.

    🏭 Other: 56%🔌 Power: 21%🚗 Transport: 15%🏠 Buildings: 7%

    Specifically from coal, gas, and oil plants.

    To cut this pollution, we need to replace all dirty power plants with clean ones (mostly wind and solar).

    We need to replace dirty power plants with clean ones (mostly wind and solar)

    In Iowa we need to close and replace:

    15 coal plants

    Name: Walter Scott Jr. Energy Center County: Pottawattamie Megawatt Capacity: 1,779 Utility: MidAmerican Energy Co

    Walter Scott Jr. Energy Center
    Pottawattamie County
    1,779 MW

    Name: George Neal North County: Woodbury Megawatt Capacity: 1,080 Utility: MidAmerican Energy Co

    George Neal North
    Woodbury County
    1,080 MW

    Name: Louisa County: Louisa Megawatt Capacity: 812 Utility: MidAmerican Energy Co

    Louisa
    Louisa County
    812 MW

    Name: Ottumwa County: Wapello Megawatt Capacity: 726 Utility: Interstate Power and Light Co

    Ottumwa
    Wapello County
    726 MW

    Name: George Neal South County: Woodbury Megawatt Capacity: 696 Utility: MidAmerican Energy Co

    George Neal South
    Woodbury County
    696 MW

    Name: Lansing County: Allamakee Megawatt Capacity: 341 Utility: Interstate Power and Light Co

    Lansing
    Allamakee County
    341 MW

    Name: Archer Daniels Midland Cedar Rapids County: Linn Megawatt Capacity: 295 Utility: Archer Daniels Midland Co

    Archer Daniels Midland Cedar Rapids
    Linn County
    295 MW

    Name: Muscatine County: Muscatine Megawatt Capacity: 294 Utility: Board of Water Electric & Communications

    Muscatine
    Muscatine County
    294 MW

    Name: Burlington (IA) County: Des Moines Megawatt Capacity: 291 Utility: Interstate Power and Light Co

    Burlington (IA)
    Des Moines County
    291 MW

    Name: Prairie Creek County: Linn Megawatt Capacity: 236 Utility: Interstate Power and Light Co

    Prairie Creek
    Linn County
    236 MW

    Name: Archer Daniels Midland Clinton County: Clinton Megawatt Capacity: 211 Utility: Archer Daniels Midland Co

    Archer Daniels Midland Clinton
    Clinton County
    211 MW

    Name: Streeter Station County: Black Hawk Megawatt Capacity: 52 Utility: Cedar Falls Utilities

    Streeter Station
    Black Hawk County
    52 MW

    Name: Iowa State University County: Story Megawatt Capacity: 49 Utility: Iowa State University

    Iowa State University
    Story County
    49 MW

    Name: University of Iowa Main Power Plant County: Johnson Megawatt Capacity: 47 Utility: University of Iowa

    University of Iowa Main Power Plant
    Johnson County
    47 MW

    Name: Archer Daniels Midland Des Moines County: Polk Megawatt Capacity: 8 Utility: Archer Daniels Midland Co

    Archer Daniels Midland Des Moines
    Polk County
    8 MW

    30 gas plants

    Name: Marshalltown Generating Station County: Marshall Megawatt Capacity: 709 Utility: Interstate Power and Light Co

    Marshalltown Generating Station
    Marshall County
    709 MW

    Name: Emery Station County: Cerro Gordo Megawatt Capacity: 603 Utility: Interstate Power and Light Co

    Emery Station
    Cerro Gordo County
    603 MW

    Name: Greater Des Moines Energy Center County: Polk Megawatt Capacity: 576 Utility: MidAmerican Energy Co

    Greater Des Moines Energy Center
    Polk County
    576 MW

    Name: Electrifarm County: Black Hawk Megawatt Capacity: 264 Utility: MidAmerican Energy Co

    Electrifarm
    Black Hawk County
    264 MW

    Name: Marshalltown CTs County: Marshall Megawatt Capacity: 189 Utility: Interstate Power and Light Co

    Marshalltown CTs
    Marshall County
    189 MW

    Name: Exira Station County: Audubon Megawatt Capacity: 182 Utility: Western Minnesota Mun Pwr Agny

    Exira Station
    Audubon County
    182 MW

    Name: Pleasant Hill Energy Center County: Polk Megawatt Capacity: 180 Utility: MidAmerican Energy Co

    Pleasant Hill Energy Center
    Polk County
    180 MW

    Name: Sycamore Combustion Turbine County: Polk Megawatt Capacity: 158 Utility: MidAmerican Energy Co

    Sycamore Combustion Turbine
    Polk County
    158 MW

    Name: Summit Lake County: Union Megawatt Capacity: 145 Utility: Central Iowa Power Cooperative

    Summit Lake
    Union County
    145 MW

    Name: Riverside (1081) County: Scott Megawatt Capacity: 141 Utility: MidAmerican Energy Co

    Riverside (1081)
    Scott County
    141 MW

    ...and 20 more

    84 oil plants

    Name: Lime Creek County: Cerro Gordo Megawatt Capacity: 90 Utility: Interstate Power and Light Co

    Lime Creek
    Cerro Gordo County
    90 MW

    Name: Roquette America County: Lee Megawatt Capacity: 84 Utility: Roquette America

    Roquette America
    Lee County
    84 MW

    Name: Dayton Avenue Substation County: Story Megawatt Capacity: 79 Utility: City of Ames - (IA)

    Dayton Avenue Substation
    Story County
    79 MW

    Name: Indianola County: Warren Megawatt Capacity: 55 Utility: Indianola Municipal Utilities

    Indianola
    Warren County
    55 MW

    Name: Mt Pleasant County: Henry Megawatt Capacity: 33 Utility: City of Mt Pleasant - (IA)

    Mt Pleasant
    Henry County
    33 MW

    Name: Pella Peaking County: Marion Megawatt Capacity: 32 Utility: City of Pella - (IA)

    Pella Peaking
    Marion County
    32 MW

    Name: Waverly Municipal Electric North Plant County: Bremer Megawatt Capacity: 28 Utility: Waverly Municipal Elec Utility

    Waverly Municipal Electric North Plant
    Bremer County
    28 MW

    Name: Spencer Gas Turbine County: Clay Megawatt Capacity: 24 Utility: City of Spencer - (IA)

    Spencer Gas Turbine
    Clay County
    24 MW

    Name: John Deere Dubuque Works County: Dubuque Megawatt Capacity: 23 Utility: John Deere Dubuque Works

    John Deere Dubuque Works
    Dubuque County
    23 MW

    Name: Forest City Light Plant County: Winnebago Megawatt Capacity: 22 Utility: City of Forest City- (IA)

    Forest City Light Plant
    Winnebago County
    22 MW

    ...and 74 more

    See a map of dirty power plants in the US

    ...and help those workers find good jobs.

    But wait! Remember how we electrified all cars and buildings?

    Our machines don't pollute now, because they run on electricity!

    But that means we need to make more power for those new electric machines - twice as much power as we make now!

    And all of it needs to be clean power!

    So to cut the climate pollution from our power, cars, and buildings we need to INSTALL 4,000 MWs of wind and 4,000 MWs of solar.

    Since Iowa already has 54 megawatts of solar power generation and 4,000 megawatts of wind power generation, that's 0 Megawatts of wind capacity AND 137 Megawatts of solar capacity a year we need to build.

    Percent to Needed ElectrificationA chart showing the share of Solar and Wind capacity that has already been installed and rest to be installed. We are 51% of the way to what we need to be carbon neutral by 2050.Solar & Wind MWs InstalledRemaining to Install

    That will solve another 21% of the problem.

    🏭 Other: 56%🔌 Power: 21%🚗 Transport: 15%🏠 Buildings: 7%

    🏭 Other Emissions

    The last 56% of emissions in Iowa comes other sources

    🏭 Other: 56%🔌 Power: 21%🚗 Transport: 15%🏠 Buildings: 7%

    This includes industry, landfills, and farming.

    There's no one solution to solve these problems, but there are a lot of great ideas!

    These include:

    • Regenerative agriculture to sequester carbon in soil
    • Composting to reduce landfill methane emissions
    • New techniques for manufacturing CO2 emitting materials, like concrete
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Ready to do your part?

Learn how to electrify your own machines and pass local policy to electrify the rest

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