Discourse for all interested in all things air-quality related
When taken into consideration that the purchase of fuel and the taxes paid on that fuel, maintenance (e.g. oil and filter changes), insurance, registration, smog testing (biennial or every two years, typically) and parking to name a few, car ownership isn’t exactly an inexpensive proposition. Also there are associated social and environmental costs to consider. … Read more
A newspaper editorial dealing with the subject of California high-speed rail ran in the Dec. 24, 2019 Los Angeles Daily News edition. Access to the full Daily News editorial can be had here. Discussed is the fifth and final phase or package of the construction program in the San Joaquin Valley or what is known … Read more
Is attacking dirty air from the grassroots level best or cleaning it using the top-down approach? The answer to this question is what we are right here, right now in search of. Each year once per year, representatives from hundreds of nations gather, the purpose of which is to come to agreement regarding identified climate … Read more
Trackless trains by definition have no wheels nor do they rely on rails upon which railroad wheels roll, as is the case with conventional rail systems, the exception being the Tubular Rail passenger application, in this case the understanding being that the plan is to employ rails (and rollers which, according to the plan, are … Read more
Interesting displays at this year’s 25th Conference of the Parties conference on global warming and climate change being held in Madrid, Spain, between Dec. 2nd and the 13th, are the air pollution and climate change pods that people can pass through enabling them to have a first-hand look at what 90 percent of the world’s … Read more
It’s no secret transportation emits more greenhouse gas pollutants (carbon mostly) than any other single sector and that emissions from transportation worldwide are on the rise. And, it should be no mystery either that for every gallon of gasoline burned in an internal combustion (IC) engine, 19.64 pounds of carbon dioxide from said burning is … Read more
From wood and coal and oil (for steam generation) to electricity, gasoline, diesel, liquefied natural gas, linear induction, magnetic levitation, vacuum tube and hydrogen propulsion (did I miss any?) the world of train-power generation has experienced it all. What we’re talking about here are generations of train-propulsion techniques, some of which were tried but never … Read more
The intent of the California high-speed-rail program is to connect Los Angeles and San Francisco by high-speed train. If all goes according to plan, an express, non-stop train between the former and latter, will cover the 520-rail-mile distance in under three hours. Eventually, Sacramento and San Diego will be brought online. The state high-speed rail … Read more
A concluding thought in “Road expansion or repair: Can either do anything to lower burden on air?” (Part 1) had to do with whether road-based projects – expansion or repair thereof – could have “an air-remedying effect.” Affirmative is the answer. Though “yes,” it’s conditional. A new overpass used to replace a physical intersection, for … Read more
According to information discussed in the Oct. 13, 2019 edition of the Maddy Report (the Maddy Report is a T.V. program broadcast on the local ABC affiliate in Fresno), about one percent of the world’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions contribution comes from California. Now that may not seem like a lot, but, astonishingly, when considered … Read more