Posts in the 'Energy + Climate Change' category
3 Lessons from Hong Kong’s Fossil Fuel Vehicle Ban
3 Lessons from Hong Kong’s Fossil Fuel Vehicle Ban
In densely urbanized Hong Kong, transport is the second largest source of greenhouse gas emissions, at 18%. Vehicle traffic is also a major source of toxic air pollutants like NOx, volatile organic compounds and carbon monoxide, accounting for 18%, 21% ...
Electrifying the School Bus Fleet: How to Put Children First in the Zero-emission Transition
Electrifying the School Bus Fleet: How to Put Children First in the Zero-emission Transition
The past year has been all about protecting ourselves and our children from a serious respiratory illness: COVID-19. But as schools reopen and children return to in-person classrooms, many kids will spend part of every day in a toxic environment that causes harm to ...
US Cities Bought More Renewable Energy Than Ever in 2020. Here’s How
US Cities Bought More Renewable Energy Than Ever in 2020. Here’s How
As the world reels from the financial blow of COVID-19, local governments in the United States are under huge pressure as cities and counties face severe budget shortfalls. This is forcing cuts to crucial spending on education and infrastructure as ...
A Green Recovery Starts with Cities
A Green Recovery Starts with Cities
National governments face an enormous triple challenge right now: recovering from COVID-19, creating sustainable and inclusive development, and addressing the climate crisis. New research shows that focusing on cities is key to overcoming these challenges while generating considerable economic, social and environmental benefits. A ...
Learning from Texas: How Active Efficiency Can Help Improve Grid Reliability and Resilience
Learning from Texas: How Active Efficiency Can Help Improve Grid Reliability and Resilience
Recent events in Texas and elsewhere in the U.S. are reminding us that our existing energy system infrastructure and operating structures are increasingly being challenged by severe weather-related events. In Texas, unprecedented freezing temperatures created a “perfect storm” of disruption, including ...
Lessons from Shenzhen’s Green Logistic Zones: Fast-Tracking Zero-Emissions Freight
Lessons from Shenzhen’s Green Logistic Zones: Fast-Tracking Zero-Emissions Freight
Urban freight vehicles constitute less than 10% of vehicles on the road in most cities, but they account for a disproportionate amount of transport-related CO2 emissions and pollutants. According to the Beijing Transport Institute, freight in Beijing accounts for around ...
4 Recommendations to Electrify the Federal Fleet
4 Recommendations to Electrify the Federal Fleet
In his first week in office, President Biden signed an executive order that gives federal agencies 90 days to devise a plan that fully transitions the federal fleet’s roughly 650,000 vehicles — including about 225,000 postal vehicles, 173,000 military vehicles ...
Climate Action Must Progress Far Faster to Achieve 1.5 C Goal
Climate Action Must Progress Far Faster to Achieve 1.5 C Goal
Countries agreed to limit global warming to well below 2 degrees C (3.6 degrees F) and ideally 1.5 degrees C (2.7 degrees F) as part of the 2015 Paris Agreement. The latest science shows that emissions will need to drop ...
4 Reasons to Prioritize Electric Vehicles After COVID-19
4 Reasons to Prioritize Electric Vehicles After COVID-19
COVID-19 has affected almost all aspects of transportation. For the public sector, economic shutdowns have gutted the tax revenue needed to buy and maintain government vehicle fleets. Perhaps no municipal entity has been hit harder than public transit agencies, which ...
California Shows How the US Can Reduce Transport Emissions
California Shows How the US Can Reduce Transport Emissions
California will require that all new passenger cars and trucks sold in the state be emissions-free by 2035 – a move that is expected to lead to more than a 35% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) and an 80% cut in ...
Local Climate Action in US Proves Resilient to COVID-19
Local Climate Action in US Proves Resilient to COVID-19
In spite of a global pandemic and the worst economic conditions in nearly a century, U.S. states, cities and businesses are continuing to lead the fight against climate change. A new report by America’s Pledge provides crucial evidence that state ...
3 Hurdles to Racial Justice in Clean Energy – and 3 Ways US Cities Can Overcome Them
3 Hurdles to Racial Justice in Clean Energy – and 3 Ways US Cities Can Overcome Them
For years, city governments in the United States have taken the lead on committing to climate action, with more than 165 cities aiming for 100% community-wide clean energy. But whether ambitious goals translate to ambitious action is another question altogether, and ...
Do Hydrogen Fuel Cell Vehicles Make Sense for Cities?
Do Hydrogen Fuel Cell Vehicles Make Sense for Cities?
Companies like Toyota, Nikola and H2X are doubling down on hydrogen fuel cell vehicles and positioning them as alternatives to their more popular zero-emission counterparts, battery electric vehicles. These companies and some advocates believe fuel cell vehicles could be key to ...
Going Low-Carbon Can Help Brazil Build Back Better
Going Low-Carbon Can Help Brazil Build Back Better
Brazil faces a fundamental choice of how to address the convergence of multiple crises it is now seeing: health, economic and environmental. The COVID-19 pandemic exposed and multiplied the risks and weaknesses in our societies and economies, disproportionately impacting poor ...
3 Lessons from China’s Rocket Growth in Electric Vehicles
3 Lessons from China’s Rocket Growth in Electric Vehicles
As people stay home and city streets turn quiet, the COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted the global vehicle market. While many urban experts fear a turn to personal cars in lieu of public transport, few people so far are actually purchasing ...
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