Energy Pollution: Electricity production represents about 28 percent of U.S.greenhouse gas emissions each year. Problem: Because of our heavy reliance on polluting fossil fuels to produce electricity, millions of individuals in the United States live in areas that exceed air quality standards and are at risk of serious respiratory and cardiovascular illness. In 2016, an estimated 64,200 premature U.S. deaths were caused by exposure to dangerous fine …
Legal Considerations for Urban Carbon Mitigation Policies
Posted on October 29th, 2019 by Amy Turner in Carbon Law Blog, LEGAL CONSIDERATIONS FOR URBAN CARBON MITIGATION POLICIES By Amy Turner Last month, the Sabin Center announced our new Cities Climate Law Initiative, a project aimed at helping U.S. cities achieve their climate mitigation commitments by addressing critical gaps or obstacles to advancing implementation of the laws and legal tools available to help reduce …
Legal Tools for Achieving Low Traffic Zones
LEGAL TOOLS FOR ACHIEVING LOW TRAFFIC ZONES (LTZS): NEW SABIN CENTER WHITE PAPER February 10th, 2020 by Amy Turner An increasing number of U.S. cities are seeking to limit the flow of vehicular traffic in designated areas as a means to reduce greenhouse gas and other emissions from cars and trucks and to help achieve their municipal climate goals. The creation of …
Kids Ask Full 9th Circ. To Give Them A Shot At Climate Trial
By Juan Carlos Rodriguez Law360 (March 3, 2020, 3:50 PM EST) — Kids claiming the federal government is endangering their futures by not acting to curb climate change have asked the Ninth Circuit for en banc review of a panel decision they say wrongly denied them their right to a trial. The youths said Monday that the two judges on …
From Carbon Calculators to Energy System Analysis in Cities
Energies 2019, 12(12), 2307; https://doi.org/10.3390/en12122307 by David Drysdale 1,* Brian Vad Mathiesen 1 and Henrik Lund 2 1Department of Planning, Aalborg University, A C Meyers Vænge 15, 2450 Copenhagen, Denmark2Department of Planning, Aalborg University, Rendsburggade 14, 9000 Aalborg, Denmark*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.Received: 30 April 2019 / Accepted: 5 June 2019 / Published: 17 June 2019Download PDF Browse Figures Abstract: Energy systems in cities need to be …
Virginia Clean Economy Act to retire most of Virginia’s coal-fired facilities by Dec. 31, 2024
Va.’s 100% clean energy shift: Part of a ‘bigger wave’?E&E News | David Iaconangelo A landmark legislative session for energy came to an end in Virginia last week, after the Democratic-controlled General Assembly mounted a late push to pass numerous new regulations on fossil fuels and promote zero-carbon sources of electricity. One of the measures, which Democratic Gov. Ralph Northam …
Vermont’s climate bill tracks Colorado’s
Vermont House advances climate change bill Associated Press The Vermont House has given preliminary approval to legislation that sets requirements and deadlines for reducing greenhouse gas emissions in the state. The so-called Global Warming Solutions Act was up for final approval on Friday. The bill would require that by 2025 Vermont reduces greenhouse gas emissions by 26% below the 2005 …
City scores on GHG reduction, level of action
Cities increasingly measure and report key environmental data such as their emissions, climate-related vulnerabilities, and actions to reduce emissions and adapt to risks. Those that report this data to CDP are scored ‘A’ to ‘D’ – based on the completeness and quality of their data, and the level of action they have taken. To score an A, a city must …
Concerns Grow Over Implementation of State’s New Climate Rules. Also, can we cut back on vehicle use and pollution?
A poll released on February 20 by Colorado College’s State of the Rockies Project found that 70 percent of Colorado voters see climate change as a “serious problem,” up from 63 percent in 2016. Similar percentages of respondents told pollsters that they’re concerned about the environmental impacts of oil and gas development and support a transition to 100 percent clean energy. hin …
Pam Kieley, the senior director of regulatory strategy at the Environmental Defense Fund said,“First and foremost is that we put big tools on the table and don’t take any tools off the table.” But there must be some regulatory limit on pollutants. “Without that, it will be very, very hard for the state to meet its goals.” Shutting down coal …