Discourse for all interested in all things air-quality related
Over the past decade, electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids have become increasingly popular, in part due to their perceived environmental benefits. But to what extent do reduced tailpipe emissions benefit human health and the climate? According to a new paper by scholars at Resources for the Future (RFF), these vehicles provide sizable benefits determined by … Read more
U.S. energy-related CO2 emissions drop 25% to 38% below what they were in 2005 by 2030, according to projections from the U.S. Energy Information Administration’s (EIA) Annual Energy Outlook 2023 (AEO2023). By the end of the projection period, 2050, U.S. energy-related CO2 emissions are 17% lower in this year’s Reference case compared with last year, … Read more
Information I read recently regarding plane versus train travel asserted that Acela trains on the Amtrak-owned Northeast Corridor (NEC) running between Washington, D.C. and New York City enjoy a 75 percent market share of air/rail-based commuter traffic in that service lane. Wow! Seventy-five percent! So, there are any number of reasons for the 75/25 train/plane … Read more
Alstom, global leader in smart and sustainable mobility, in partnership with the Government of Quebec, Chemin de fer Charlevoix, Train de Charlevoix, Harnois Énergies and HTEC, has announced a passenger service demonstration project for its Coradia iLint hydrogen-powered train. During summer 2023, the Coradia iLint will carry passengers on the Réseau Charlevoix rail network, along … Read more
Introduction Electricity is as old as the world itself: 4.5 billion years. Regarding our capture of and our deriving benefit from, in relative terms and where that’s concerned, it registers as barely a blip on the geologic-timescale radar screen. In putting this invaluable – and invisible – resource to work as we’ve done, it just … Read more
Class 230 Great Western Railway has completed the purchase of a number of assets from emission-free battery and hybrid trains manufacturer Vivarail, which entered administration last December. GWR has agreed [to] contracts to buy intellectual property, rolling stock and equipment relating to the development of high-performance battery and FastCharge technology designed to support wider introduction … Read more
Okay, I’ll say it: Intermodal connectivity is fundamental to successful high-speed rail operation in California’s San Joaquin Valley on what is now known as the Interim Initial Operating Segment (IOS), a 171-mile-long double-tracked, fully grade-separated high-speed railroad corridor to serve the needs of passengers traveling end to end or on any portion thereof in between, … Read more
If there’s one thing you should know about me it should be that I’m not a big proponent of fossil-fuel use. If you’ve been anywhere, where, in the air, there is noticeable smog and/or haze, then you should have an appreciation for why it is, in this context, I feel as I do. This is … Read more
A funny thing happened the other day in my Internet search to find information on climate change. Internet searches these days being all the rage, it’s become a common practice for journalists as well to engage in such activity related, of course, to their conducting journalistically-tied Internet-based research. So, with this in mind, I began … Read more
There is a new report: “Climate Change and AI: Recommendations for Government Action,” a joint study from the Centre for AI & Climate and Climate Change AI. It seems quite timely, in fact, given that conditions all across the world, it would appear, have returned to what they were pre-COVID outbreak with climate matters, especially, … Read more