From WSJ Article: A Big Sum of Small Differences

According to the Wall Street Journal, new analysis from McKinsey & Co. suggests that U.S. consumers have more control over U.S. greenhouse gas emissions than conventionally believed.

Through what and how they eat, drive, and consume, Americans are directly and indirectly responsible for over 65% of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions. This goes up against the belief by some that GHG reductions are primarily the responsibility of industry. According to McKinsey’s numbers, 17% of U.S. GHG emissions come from driving passenger cars while an equivalent amount came from residential buildings appliances.

While this demonstrates that individual consumers need to make moves to reduce their GHG emissions, it is also important to recognize that often they are constrained by the options they have available to them, which is one critical area where industry needs to take action.

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That’s the number of miles American’s have shaved off their driving total between November 2007 and May 2008.

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A street in London built on a human scale. Photo by dnlb2.

The BBC has run a piece by Dermot Finch, the director of Centre for Cities, which argues that UK cities have a lot to teach their Trans-Atlantic neighbors on subjects such as suburban sprawl and traffic. Finch’s argument is broken into four categories:

• Tackling Gridlock
• Keeping Town and City Centers Alive
• How to Beat Suburban Sprawl
• Lavishing Attention on Cities

Read the rest of this entry »

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Today, NPR had an interesting story about “Hypermilers”, a group of people who try and get every last bit of distance out of each gallon of gas they use in their cars. In an ideal world, record high gas prices and the threat of global warming would inspire large scale systemic change where automobile companies produce ultra high efficiency cars, cities curb sprawl while fostering high-density mixed-use development, and where investment in mass transit is a top priority.
However, we don’t live in an ideal world. So, in the absence of that kind of change people can take it upon themselves, like these Hypermilers, to protect their wallet and the environment by changing the way they drive. What the Hypermilers are doing is a part of “EcoDriving“, a way of driving that decreases the amount of fuel you use and the quantity of greenhouse gas emissions that you emit. It’s not a substitute for deeper, big picture solutions that get to the root of these problems, but in the meantime, it sure can help.

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Photo by Monica Almeida from The New York Times.

This weekend the New York Times had an article about a neat initiative to transform bus stops in Los Angeles into something called “community living rooms” - that’s a pleasant and clean space to sit down while waiting for the bus. According to the Times, LA’s bus stops are in chronic disrepair even though 1.2 million passengers use the buses every week. Jennifer Steinhaur reports that,

…Scores of bus stops around town, especially in the areas south of Interstate 10 and close to downtown, not only are trash-strewn and barren but also offer no place to sit. Old women press heavily against their walkers, peering down the street to see if the bus is coming, and children cling to the bus stop sign, often perilously close to the street, as their mothers beckon them sharply to stand back.

But things are starting to change, at least at around 15 spots in the city. Read the rest of this entry »

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Photo by Christopher Chan.

Yesterday, Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver announced that Mayor Bloomberg’s congestion pricing bill would not move through Albany, a huge blow to New York City’s livable streets movement and Bloomberg’s ambitious PLANYC, which had congestion pricing as its centerpiece. The congestion pricing plan, which had the support of New York City’s City Council, called for charging drivers $8 for entering Manhattan below 60th street. Using the funds generated by charging drivers, New York City planned to inject an infusion of cash into the mass transit system which is strapped for cash and experiencing increasing ridership. With congestion pricing killed, it’s unclear where the funding for the city’s mass transit infrastructure will come from.

See our friends at Streetsblog for more coverage.

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Soy beans on the left, and corn, on the right, are being used for bio-fuel. Photo by cindy47452.

Today, Brenda Gorman reports in the New York Times about a rash of cases involving the bio-fuels industry in which industrial waste is improperly disposed, fouling rivers and streams in states like Alabama and Missouri. The title of her article suggests the internal contradictions of a purportedly green business that harms the environment: “Pollution Is Called a Byproduct of a ‘Clean’ Fuel.” As Ms. Gorman writes,

The discharges [from the bio-fuel plants], which can be hazardous to birds and fish, have many people scratching their heads over the seeming incongruity of pollution from an industry that sells products with the promise of blue skies and clear streams.

For more of TheCityFix’s coverage on bio-fuels, click here, here, here, and here. Read the rest of this entry »

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Photo by padawan.

Dubai: Air quality declines as number of cars rises [Business 24-7]

China: Car owners to be compensated for driving ban during Olympics [Gaurdian]

China: Marathon record holder wont run in China because of pollution [Daily Mail]

United States: Americans learn bikes cut costs and improve fitness [Reuters]

General: Plug-in cars could increase pollution [Detroit Free Press]

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