TIBURON’S
CARBON
SHADOW
08.06/25
PRESENTATOR: CHARLOTTE KINGMAN
BY 350 MARIN
1
• Unpacking Tiburon’s carbon footprint
• Explore how affluence masks environmental harm
• Reflect on personal experiences and implications for climate justice
350 Marin
Overview / Purpose
Where is Tiburon?
350 Marin
• Peninsula town in Marin County, CA
• Small, wealthy, and primarily residential
• Surrounded by open space and San Francisco Bay
• Native plants, scenic trails, preserved open space
• Affluent aesthetics and suburban order
• Emission-free image—but what lies beneath?
350 Marin
Surface Sustainability
Affluence and Consumption
350 Marin
• Larger homes = higher heating/cooling emissions
• High rates of car ownership (luxury cars, SUVs)
• Frequent air travel, second homes, imported goods
• Suburbanization post-WWII, racialized housing patterns
• Anti-growth policies reinforce exclusivity
• Echoes of redlining and environmental privilege
350 Marin
Historical
Roots
Displacement and Invisibility
350 Marin
• Low-income and BIPOC communities pushed out
• Workers commute long distances
• Environmental burdens shifted elsewhere
• Emissions outsourced: production, shipping, waste
• Jet-setting lifestyles
• Consumption-based emissions much higher than reported
350 Marin
The Carbon Shadow
Local Government
350 Marin
• Tiburon Town Council + Marin County government
• Climate Action Plans exist but have limited reach
• Little focus on consumption-based emissions
• 350Marin: grassroots climate activism
• Advocates for stronger local and county policies
• Educates public, pushes elected officials
350 Marin
NGOs & Grassroots Action
Personal Reflections
350 Marin
• Grew up here—learning to look deeper
• Sustainability ≠ aesthetics
• Privilege = responsibility to act
• Account for consumption-based emissions
• Encourage sustainable behavior change
• Promote regional equity and affordable housing
350 Marin
Recommendations
Challenges
350 Marin
• Political pushback in affluent areas
• Lack of incentives or regulations
• Cultural attachment to consumerism
• Tiburon can be green—but not if we ignore the hidden costs
• Real sustainability includes justice
• We must make the invisible visible
350 Marin
Conclusion
THANK YOU
PRESENTATOR: CHARLOTTE KINGMAN
BY 350 MARIN
08.06/25
15
Questions
&
Answers
350 Marin
16
PRESENTATION NAME
Image Sources
350 Marin
https://www.istockphoto.com/photos/tiburon-ca
https://yrofthemonkey.com/dog-friendly-hiking-tiburon/
https://flexjet.com/blog/perspectives-on-perfection-private-luxury-jets/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tiburon,_California
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richmond%E2%80%93San_Rafael_Bridge
https://www.townoftiburon.org/CivicAlerts.aspx?AID=333
https://passportandplates.com/destination-guides/best-things-to-do-in-tiburon-california/
https://www.yelp.com/biz/tiburon-uplands-natural-preserve-tiburon
https://www.redfin.com/city/19818/CA/Tiburon/luxury-homes
https://www.etsy.com/listing/1128118124/mt-tam-and-tiburon-sunset-print-san
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PRESENTATION NAME
Sources for Slides
References
Current California GHG Emission Inventory Data. Accessed August 3, 2025. https://ww2.arb.ca.gov/ghg-inventory-data.
Bair, J. (2005). Global capitalism and commodity chains: Looking back, going forward. Competition & Change, 9(2), 153–180. https://doi.org/10.1179/102452905X45382
Bourdieu, P. (1984). Distinction: A Social Critique of the Judgment of Taste. Harvard University Press. https://monoskop.org/images/e/e0/Pierre_Bourdieu_Distinction_A_Social_Critique_of_the_Judgement_of_Taste_1984.pdf
California CoolClimate Network. (2024). CoolClimate Household Carbon Footprint Calculator. University of California, Berkeley. https://coolclimate.berkeley.edu/calculator�Carleton College Off-Campus Studies. (2025). Ecology and Anthropology in Tanzania. https://www.carleton.edu/global-engagement/ecology-tanzania/
Castree, N. (2003). Commodifying what nature? Progress in Human Geography, 27(3), 273–297. https://doi.org/10.1191/0309132503ph428o.
County of Marin Planning Department. (2020). Tiburon General Plan and Zoning Maps. Marin County Government. https://gisopendata.marincounty.gov/datasets/marincounty::zoning-of-tiburon/explore �Escobar, A. (1998). Whose knowledge, whose nature? Biodiversity, conservation, and the political ecology of social movements. Journal of Political Ecology, 5, 53–82. https://journals.librarypublishing.arizona.edu/jpe/article/1593/galley/1850/view/. �Escobar, A. (2018). Designs for the Pluriverse: Radical Interdependence, Autonomy, and the Making of Worlds. Duke University Press. https://www.dukeupress.edu/designs-for-the-pluriverse �Gieryn, T. F. (2000). A space for place in sociology. Annual Review of Sociology, 26(1), 463–496. https://www.jstor.org/stable/223453
Hornborg, A. (1998). Ecological Debt: The Political Economy of Environmental Degradation and Unequal Exchange. Routledge. https://lucris.lub.lu.se/ws/portalfiles/portal/30090345/Hornborgintro_1_.pdf
Ivanova, D., et al. (2020). Quantifying the carbon footprint of household consumption across income groups. Nature Sustainability, 3(4), 206–213. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/340370915_Quantifying_the_potential_for_climate_change_mitigation_of_consumption_options �Latour, B. (2005). Reassembling the Social: An Introduction to Actor-Network-Theory. Oxford University Press. https://academic.oup.com/book/52349
Massey, D. S., & Denton, N. A. (1993). American Apartheid: Segregation and the Making of the Underclass. Harvard University Press. https://www.hup.harvard.edu/books/9780674018211
Oxfam. (2020). Confronting Carbon Inequality. Oxfam International. https://www.oxfam.org/en/research/confronting-carbon-inequality �Ribot, J. C. (2010). Vulnerability Does Not Just Fall from the Sky: Toward Multi-Scale Proactive Policy and Protection. In Climate Change and Vulnerability (pp. 1–16). Routledge. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/284666318_Vulnerability_does_not_fall_from_the_sky_toward_multiscale_pro-poor_climate_policy
Roberts, J. T., & Parks, B. C. (2007). A Climate of Injustice https://mitpress.mit.edu/9780262681612/a-climate-of-injustice/
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