Earther

Prop 22 Shows Why Big Tech Is the Climate Movement’s New Foe

The results of many elections—chiefly the presidential one—are still up in the air. But Tuesday night saw a sure, devastating blow to working people: California passed Proposition 22, meaning drivers with app-based companies like Uber, Lyft, and DoorDash will be considered independent contractors and not employees. It’s also a preview of the coming climate fights … Continued

EartherConservation

Cars Emit More Than Carbon Pollution—They Release Microplastic, Too

When you take your car for a spin, it’s not just emitting particulate matter and greenhouse gases. The wear and tear of your car’s tires and brakes release microplastic, which winds, rains, and snow can carry to the most remote parts of the world. A study published Tuesday in Nature Communications analyzed how much microplastic … Continued

EartherClimate Change

To Really Cut Carbon Emissions, Stop Building New Roads

The UK has big plans for electric vehicles. It aims to phase out of sales of all fossil fuel-run cars by 2035 in an effort to lower carbon pollution. But there’s another source of emissions that could wipe out most of the gains: new roads. Earlier this year, researchers found that the shift to all-electric … Continued

Earther

‘First Ever’ Near Real-Time Analysis of Global Carbon Emissions Reveals Coronavirus Impacts

Lockdowns around the world are having a measurable effect on global greenhouse gas emissions. A new study out Tuesday found that daily emissions dropped by 17 percent in April 2020 compared to last year’s average levels. This is a sizable dip, but the findings offer a sobering reality check: Individual actions just aren’t enough to … Continued

Earther

Coronavirus Has Taken a Paris Agreement-Size Chunk Out of US Emissions

New data shows how the coronavirus has continued to completely alter how we use roads. Traffic is way down and so are greenhouse gas emissions from vehicles. The reduction has been so dramatic, in fact, that it’s put the U.S. on track to meet its goals set forth in the Paris Agreement. The University of … Continued

Earther

The Coronavirus Could Ruin New York’s Big Plan to Reduce Traffic and Fix the Subway

New York City was set to make history in 2021. The city would’ve become the first in the U.S. to implement congestion pricing in Lower Manhattan to help curb traffic. Now, the coronavirus pandemic has put all that on pause—at a time when other cities are closing off entire blocks to traffic. How ironic. MTA … Continued

Earther

Cities Are Closing Streets to Cars During Coronavirus—They Should Make It Permanent

Oakland city officials kicked off a program Saturday to limit 74 miles of streets to only pedestrians and cyclists. That’s right: No cars, baby. This type of move is critical during the coronavirus pandemic. People are stuck inside but in need of fresh air and exercise. Finding space outside to do so safely with the … Continued

EartherClimate Change

Public Transit Is the Way to a Green New Deal

A new report shows that the majority of voters across party lines want to see massive transformation in the transportation sector if it means increasing access and funding for public transportation. And this report outlines exactly how the U.S. can accomplish that by 2030. A Green New Deal for transportation is here, and it’s pretty damn … Continued

EartherClimate Change

Why Expanding Highways Makes Traffic Worse

Americans drove 40 percent more miles in 2019 than they did in 1994, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation. More driving means more congested traffic. So to reduce congestion, it makes sense to build more highway lanes so that more cars can fit. Right? Actually, no. A new report from the policy organization Transportation … Continued

EartherClimate Change

The UK Plans to Ban the Sale of Gas and Hybrid Cars by 2035

The UK is going hard in its game to ban cars. Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced at the launch of talks related to COP26, the next chapter of international climate talks, that his government would accelerate its ban on the sale of gas- and diesel-run vehicles from 2040 to 2035. Leaders are even adding hybrids … Continued

EartherEnvironmental Justice

London’s New ‘Ultra-Low Emissions Zone’ Will Banish Old, Polluting Cars

Apparently, London is on a mission to one-up New York City’s congestion pricing announcement earlier this month. The British city just rolled out the world’s first round-the-clock “low emission zone” to address its air pollution problem. Mayor Sadiq Khan formally introduced the new ultra-low emission zone rules Monday. The rules cover Central London, which already … Continued

EartherClimate Change

New York’s Plan to Make Manhattan Drivers Pay Extra Is a Big Deal for People and the Planet

The next best thing to banning cars is crafting policies that factor in the toll they take on society. And that’s exactly what New York has now done. After toying with the idea for more than a decade, on Sunday the state legislature passed a budget that would implement congestion pricing, making New York the … Continued

Tech News

Watch a Massive Sinkhole Swallow a Minivan

Downtown Ottawa is the latest city to remove cars from its streets. Actually it’s just a single minivan. That got sucked into the bowels of the Earth. A huge sinkhole opened on a busy Ottawa street this morning due to a water main break. It seemed like emergency crews had everything under control and then… … Continued

Tech News

You Might Not Able to Buy a Gas-Powered Car in Norway After 2025

The oil-rich nation of Norway could be the first country to ban gas-powered cars for good. According to CNBC, that’s basically the headline on today’s Dagens Næringsliv, a Norwegian business publication. “Stop sales of diesel and gasoline vehicles in 2025” it says, noting that the four political parties have come to an agreement about making … Continued

Tech News

That Time New York City Almost Banned Cars

The public plazas and bike lanes now found throughout New York City have affectionately become known to detractors as the “war on cars.” But amazingly, a 1973 plan got very, very close to banning cars in Manhattan outright, thanks to a man known as “Gridlock Sam.” Over at The Guardian, Aaron Renn profiles Sam Schwartz, … Continued

EartherClimate Change

Paris Is Now Banning All Pre-1997 Cars

Paris has tried just about everything to combat its terrible smog problem. The city has launched attempts to take half the cars off its road, introduce regular car-free days, and close famous streets to vehicular traffic—but Paris still has some of the worst pollution in Europe. Now a much bigger idea is going into effect: … Continued

Tech News

How Likely You Are to Get Killed by a Car, Depending on Its Speed

It’s simple physics really: The faster a car is going when it hits you, the more likely you’ll be killed. But there’s a correlation between the speed of the car and the likelihood you’ll be killed, especially when you take age into consideration. Just 5 mph can make a dramatic difference in whether you live … Continued

Tech News

Six Freeway Removals That Changed Their Cities Forever

It seems counterintuitive, right? Rip out eight lanes of freeway through the middle of your metropolis and you’ll be rewarded with not only less traffic, but safer, more efficient cities? But it’s true, and it’s happening in places all over the world. Many freeway systems were overbuilt in an auto-obsessed era. It was decades later … Continued

Tech News

Stupid Cars Keep Ruining LA’s Newest Train

Los Angeles’s Expo Line, the first passenger train to go from downtown LA to Santa Monica in 60 years, started officially running on Friday afternoon. But Monday morning was the first time that thousands of eager commuters boarded it for work. That’s right about when a drunk driver crashed onto the tracks. Jerk! According to … Continued

Tech News

This Is the Totally Wrong Way to Think About Self-Driving Cars

I’m no fan of cars, as you might have guessed from some of my previous stories. But I do believe that better technology—namely the kind that will prevent humans from driving them—can make cars, and our world, better. That’s why I generally agree with the “ban cars”-esque argument in this essay by Rebecca Solnit, a … Continued