Climate Cities
All Stories
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Don’t Dig a Hole, Too, China
In yet another blow to the environment, the Chinese government is launching a massive expansion of its road network to accommodate its fast-emerging car culture. By 2010, the country says major roads will span a total of 22,000 miles in and between major cities, including Hong Kong, Beijing, and Shanghai; by 2020, it hopes to […]
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Yukon Take Your SUV and Shove It
Despite increasing awareness of alternative-fuel technologies and growing concern over U.S. dependence on foreign oil, the fuel economy of American cars is only getting worse. Statistics released today by the U.S. EPA show that the average fuel economy of the new fleet of cars for 2003 is 6 percent lower than it was 15 years […]
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Fly the Unfriendly Skies
One-fourth of all North American bird species are at risk, according to a new study released by the National Audubon Society. The report blames increased urbanization and the resulting loss of open spaces for the decline; as cities grow, farmlands are converted to urban areas and grasslands are converted to farmlands, leaving birds with insufficient […]
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That’s Sprawl, Folks
Communities in California, Georgia, and North Carolina are the worst offenders when it comes to suburban sprawl in the United States, according to a three-year study released yesterday by the Washington, D.C.-based coalition Smart Growth America. The study, based on the work of researchers at Rutgers University and Cornell University, measured sprawl by evaluating the […]
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City of Angels
The famously smog-choked city of Los Angeles will be home to the first zero-emission fuel-cell cars in the U.S., according to an announcement made yesterday by Mayor James Hahn (D). By the end of 2002, Honda Motor Company will lease five FCX hydrogen-powered cars to L.A., which will loan them to city employees for commuting. […]
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Nether Netherland
For those in the know, the Netherlands are all but synonymous with responsible urban planning. From mass transit to mass cycling, from sustainable building to species protections, the country has raised the bar for the rest of the world. Now, though, politics in the Netherlands is shifting precipitously to the right — and many fear […]
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Running Knows
Climate change is caused by human activities — and maybe by more of them than previously thought. That was the conclusion of a report released today by NASA, which found that land-use changes such as farming, irrigation, and urban sprawl contribute as much if not more to climate change than does the burning of fossil […]
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Critical Masses
The mention of bike rallies usually summons images of Harleys, leather, and tattoos — but not so the rally held Friday in San Francisco to celebrate the 10th anniversary of Critical Mass. Somewhere between 3,000 and 5,000 riders turned out for the party, far more than normally participate in the monthly biking event to encourage […]
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Old Yeller
In better mass transit news, Yellowstone National Park is in the early stages of launching a public-transportation plan designed to cut down on air and noise pollution. Harkening back to its past, the park has reacquired a small fleet of yellow tour buses that were phased out of service in the 1950s. The park plans […]
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Umbra on killing your lawn
Dear Umbra, I just moved into a house with a large backyard. I would like to xeriscape 90 percent of it, but I must first learn how to kill and remove the grass. I’m not a fan of chemicals and would like to find an alternate solution. Most of the yard is very, very brown […]
