News

New automobile standards to make for cleaner car travel, improve air quality, protect public health, fight climate change

WASHINGTON – Today, March 20, [2024], the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced final national pollution standards for passenger cars, light-duty trucks, and medium-duty vehicles for model years 2027 through 2032 and beyond. These standards will avoid more than 7 billion tons of carbon emissions and provide nearly $100 billion of annual net benefits to society, … Read more

In 2023, climate-change indicators reached new heights, WMO reports

A new report from the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) shows that records were once again broken, and in some cases smashed, for greenhouse gas levels, surface temperatures, ocean heat and acidification, sea level rise, Antarctic sea ice cover and glacier retreat. Heatwaves, floods, droughts, wildfires and rapidly intensifying tropical cyclones caused misery and mayhem, upending … Read more

Clean mobility community, school projects across California receive $33M from state air board

SACRAMENTO – The California Air Resources Board (CARB) recently awarded $33 million in grants to support projects that increase access to zero-emissions transportation and diversify mobility options for schools and communities that service more than 20 low-income areas, including a new effort that empowers communities with resources to plan for future transportation projects. The programs, … Read more

Study shows bias in favor of preserving driving

The researchers from Swansea University and the University of the West of England commissioned an independent polling organisation to ask 2,157 people across the UK a series of questions. Randomly, each person got a set of questions that asked about driving cars or an identical set of questions with one or two words changed so … Read more

UMass Amherst Report: Immense job opportunities, workforce needs tied to federal infrastructure, climate, manufacturing investments

AMHERST, Mass. – A new report from the University of Massachusetts Amherst Political Economy Research Institute (PERI) examines labor supply, demand, and potential shortages from new U.S. clean energy, manufacturing, and infrastructure laws: the Inflation Reduction Act, Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, and CHIPS and Science Act. The analysis was commissioned by the National Skills Coalition and … Read more

New report finds marked Canadian CO2 reductions possible by upping transit-ridership levels by 2X

Ottawa | Traditional, unceded territory of the Algonquin Anishinaabeg People – A new report, titled “Putting Wheels on the Bus” from Environmental Defence and Équiterre, supported by modelling conducted by Dunsky Energy + Climate Advisors and Leading Mobility finds that Canada can double public transit ridership by 2035 if federal and provincial governments step up … Read more

Environmental groups chalk up victory. Major So. Cal. polluters could face financial penalties

Los Angeles – In a major win for polluter accountability, a legal settlement announced today will require the South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD) to adopt a rule that could fine polluters for their emissions contributing to the region’s poor air quality. Plaintiffs estimate that a fee rule could result in SCAQMD collecting over … Read more

‘Atrocious Air,’ First Street’s 10th national risk assessment study released

Brooklyn (NY) – Today, First Street released their 10th national risk assessment entitled “Atrocious Air”. The report highlights the contribution of climate change to the increasing risk of exposure to poor air quality today and into the future. These trends are a reversal of hard fought gains in air quality improvement over the past half … Read more

Sea sponges may more accurately tell global warming story

Scientists analysed 300 years of ocean temperature records from marine sponges and discovered global warming has increased by 0.5 degrees more than was previously estimated. In the study…scientists extracted ocean temperature records preserved in the calcium carbonate skeletons of long-lived sclerosponges. Researchers from The University of Western Australia, Indiana State University and University of Puerto … Read more

Stricter soot-pollution standards finalized by the fed

WASHINGTON — The Biden-Harris Administration on Wednesday finalized a significantly stronger air quality standard that will better protect America’s families, workers, and communities from the dangerous and costly health effects of fine particle pollution, also known as soot. By strengthening the annual health-based national ambient air quality standard for fine particulate matter (PM2.5) from a … Read more