Discourse for all interested in all things air-quality related
The two oldest modes of mechanized land transportation are also two of the best – still – even after all these years. Not surprisingly, it is the train and bicycle we are talking about here. The latter, about 180 years1 in the making and the former, 20 years the bicycle’s senior; about a generation difference.2 … Read more
High-speed trains have been part of the landscape, a fixture, if you will, since 1934, with Pennsylvania Railroad’s (PRR) model GG1 electric locomotive whose top speed was 100 miles per hour and for a non-electric, Union Pacific’s M-10001 diesel-electric trainset, its maximum velocity, a reputed 120 mph. Certainly not to be overlooked were the many … Read more
Fuel cells have been around for a while now. So, it would make perfect sense that fuel-cell technology would eventually find application in the railway domain. And, now it has. Alstom, the French company, is one manufacturer getting into the game. “The Coradia iLint is the first low floor passenger train worldwide powered by a … Read more
There are resources and then there are resources – such that prompt sitting up and taking note. “Cities100: 100 solutions for climate action in cities,” a Sustainia, C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group and Realdania collaboration, now this is a resource! “Cities100” is a document that, in very clear terms and concise and structured form, provides … Read more
A growing population means increased mobility; no ifs, ands or buts about it. It’s a given. Mobility – or more precisely, locomotion – is nothing more than place-to-place moving. And, mobility, at its most fundamental level, is no more complicated than putting one foot in front of the other. But there is more to mobility … Read more
Air conditioning: an ingenious invention – an almost indispensable addition to the home, that is, where appliances are concerned. Whether inside or outside the domicile (and automobile too, if you want to get real about this), being able to take air and “condition” it so as to provide one a level of comfort, most especially … Read more
Fantastic is reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. More fantastic is fewer GHGs and an economy growing simultaneously, and, such is precisely the case in California. Speaking to this, the California Environmental Protection Agency Air Resources Board (ARB) declared: “Demonstrating California’s progress toward a clean-energy economy, the California Air Resources Board today [Jun. 7, 2017] released … Read more
What should be the aim of transportation development? Place-to-place mobility? Efficiency? Connectivity? Economic prosperity? Environmental sustainability? All of the above? All of the above. It isn’t enough anymore, or so it would seem, just to be able to travel, move cargo from one location to another. That was fine for an earlier time – life … Read more
There is this old saw: “If it ain’t broke; don’t fix it.” All well and good if it can be determined unequivocally if some “thing” is working properly and therefore is not in need of fixing. To toot my own horn, that’s a pretty good analysis if I do say so myself. This is not … Read more
Researchers in Belgium have created a device which can convert polluted air into energy. That’s just one of the device’s capabilities. The other is its ability to make air pollution harmless. The catch: light from the sun is needed to facilitate both processes. “‘We use a small device with two rooms separated by a membrane’, … Read more