Clean Fleet Reporthybrid & electric cars smart charged with renewable energy
Better MPG Would Come Via Gas Tax, Not Fuel Economy Standards, MIT Study Says
The best way to get more MPG out of cars is to tax fuel, according to researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. They published a study in the journal Energy Economics (Volume 36, March 2013, Pages 322–333) that showed that fuel economy standards (such as the ones now in force in the U.S. ) cost at least six times as much (and up to 14 times as much) to reduce gasoline use as would a tax on the fuel. They added that a fuel economy standard is an expensive mechanism to reduce greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) and raises the cost of a cap-and-trade policy, such as the one just starting in California.
Think Keystone XL Pipeline Will Lower Gas Prices? Think Again
New report explains how the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline will actually increase domestic gasoline prices.
Fox News Claims that Humans Cause Global Warming
FOX News now claims that humans cause global warming. FOX News is among a handful of media outlets now claiming that wind turbines somehow cause global warming. Opps. Yes, wind farms move hot air. No, wind farms do not cause global warming. The FOX coverage is upsetting some environmentalists because the coverage distorts the truth. Instead, we should celebrate that FOX is admitting that humans can cause global warming.
EPA Importance – Replacing Coal with Energy Efficiency
Fifty years ago my folks drove a gas-guzzler that got 10 miles per gallon. The air we breathed in the LA area damaged our lungs with the same impact as smoking a pack a day. We did not realize that our drinking water included DDT sprayed on local orange groves and traces of other dangerous toxins. In 1962, biologist Rachel Carson published Silent Spring. Her book inspired broad bi-partisan support for Governor Ronald Reagan to establish the California Air Resources Board and President Richard Nixon to establish the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
Do Oil Companies Pay Their Fair Share?
$380 billion of wasteful government spending, subsidies, and loopholes is detailed in the new Green Scissors report. http://greenscissors.com/ The amount is for 2012 to 2016. I’m not sure which is most surprising, the common sense distilled to 32-pages or the fact that the report is sponsored by both conservative and environmental groups. Green Scissors 2011 is published by four organizations: progressive environmental group Friends of the Earth, deficit hawk Taxpayers for Common Sense, consumer watchdog Public Citizen and free-market think tank The Heartland Institute.
Car-Free Vacations – Carefree Commuting
It was an easy walk from our downtown Madrid hotel to the train station. In less than 3 hours on high-speed rail, we crossed the country to Barcelona. I looked out the window as we traveled at 185 miles per hour leaving the hot plains for the cooler Mediterranean. Traveling car free made the vacation relaxed, talking with locals easy, and neighborhoods a joy to walk. Exciting new last mile transit solutions are used by millions including bicycle sharing, P2P car sharing, personal rapid transit, and pilots of new urban mobility
Congress Tries to Cripple EPA
Although the attempt of Congress to cripple the EPA may help short-term profits of oil and coal companies, such action would damage companies benefitting from clean transportation, energy efficiency, and renewable energy. Hybrid and electric car sales would be hurt. As the Senate and House gear up to vote today and tomorrow on measures to block EPA from updating its health protections, NRDC gives this testimony to the House Oversight and Investigations Committee.
Cracking the Carbon Code: The Key to Sustainable Profits in the New Economy
In his new book, Cracking the Carbon Code, Terry Tamminen shows us how a sustainable future is being created. He gives us an inside look based on his strategic meetings with President Obama, governors of red and blue states, and even the formation of the next five year plan for China. Tamminen removes the mystery of Cracking the Carbon Code in one fascinating story after another as we follow the actions of corporate, government, and NGO leaders from California to China and from the United States to the UK.
State of the World 2011: Agriculture Innovation Is Critical to Stabilizing Climate
Worldwatch Institute released its report State of the World 2011: Innovations that Nourish the Planet, which spotlights successful agricultural innovations and unearths major successes in preventing food waste, building resilience to climate change, and strengthening farming in cities. The report provides a roadmap for increased agricultural investment and more-efficient ways to alleviate global hunger and poverty.
Texas Oil Attacks California Cleantech with Prop 23
Over 95 percent of California transportation is fueled by petroleum. By comparison, only two nations use more oil – China and the United States. California uses more oil than India, Japan, or Germany. Reducing the use of petroleum would cost oil companies billions. Texas oil companies are spending million to encourage Californians to vote “yes” for Proposition 23 this November. Proposition 23’s opponents include 66 asset managers, venture capitalists and other investors collectively managing over $410 billion who issued a joint statement today opposing Proposition 23, the statewide ballot initiative to stop implementation of the state’s landmark clean energy law, AB 32.
New Reports from National Research Council Give U.S. Climate Action Plan Roadmap
New NRC report suggests a range of emissions from 170 to 200 gigatons of carbon dioxide (CO2) equivalent for the period 2012 through 2050 as a reasonable goal for emission reduction in the United States, a goal that is roughly in line with the range of emission reduction targets proposed recently by the Obama administration and members of Congress. Even at the higher end of this range, meeting the target will require a major departure from “business-as-usual” emission trends. The report notes that with the exception of the recent economic downtown, domestic emissions have been rising for most of the past three decades.
DOT Reports Climate Action from Electric Cars to Public Transportation
A wealth of potential solutions, from electric cars, to better transit, to reduced VMT, are detailed in the recent Department of Transportation’s report to Congress. Not only is the report rich with promising climate action, solutions are detailed to address U.S. energy security, with 97 percent of our transportation coming from one source – petroleum. The United States is starting to reduce its total consumption of oil, become a bit more energy secure, and to implement promising strategies. By eliminating some of the biggest subsidies to oil and widening of highways, with some positive policy shifts, and with a modest carbon price, we could achieve significant reduction of oil use and reduce damaging emissions. Individuals, fleets, and regions have a wealth of options.
Oil Spill Leads to Transportation Action Plan
200,000 gallons of oil spill daily into the Gulf of Mexico, destroying the beaches of Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Texas. Billions of dollars of damage is done. To the rescue, since 2005, Americans have used less oil by riding clean, riding together, and riding less. A transportation action plan can end our addiction to oil.
Climate Action Plan for Transportation – Bay Area Scenario
A growing number of communities, regions, and nations are planning to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions. A climate action plan for electric cars, smart growth and better transportation can help make their future more secure and less impacted by potential draughts, water scarcity, food scarcity, and other effects of a climate crisis. This scenario shows how the San Francisco Bay Area can reduce on-road transportation emissions 80 percent by 2050, while delivering better transportation and livable communities.
Meeting the Energy and Climate Challenge by Dr. Steven Chu
“The U.S. innovation machine is the greatest in the world,” said Energy Secretary Steven Chu as he spoke at Stanford on March 7. He outlined the potential for breakthroughs in energy efficiency, renewable energy, and in batteries. He outlined a new Industrial Revolution as he presented solutions for the latest climate risks.
