Brad Plumer
The Beginning of the End of the Internal Combustion Engine Vehicle?
The California Air Resources Board voted unanimously on August 25 to begin a phased ban on the sale of passenger vehicles powered by gasoline or diesel beginning in 2026 when over a third of new vehicles sold in California must be zero-emissions.
U.S. Carbon Emissions Increased Last Year After a Three-Year Decline
The sobering news comes from the Rhodium Group, a research firm that tracks CO2 emissions. The preliminary estimate is the third in two months to show an increase in 2018, attributing it to an improved economy and Trump's regulation rollbacks.
Meeting the Challenge of Feeding 10 Billion People Sustainably in 2050
With world population to grow by about 2 billion by 2050, and with more people eating higher on the food chain as nations develop economically, can world agriculture reduce its carbon footprint? A new World Resources Institute report shows how.
Implementing the Paris Climate Agreement in Katowice, Poland
Representatives from nearly 200 nations have been attending the U.N. Climate Change Conference in Katowice since Dec. 2 to work on implementing the 2015 Paris climate agreement. Scheduled to end Friday, it will be extended two days due to discord.
Climate Report Written by Federal Government Warns of Dire Impact on Economy
The second volume of the Fourth National Climate Assessment, released on Black Friday to presumably draw less attention from the American public, was well-covered by the media. Unlike Volume 1, there was greater focus on economic impacts.
What's Next After Carbon Pricing Initiative Fails Twice?
Carbon pricing proponents in the U.S. saw their second defeat in two years in the same state when Washington voters soundly defeated I-1631, a carbon fee that would fund emission reductions. Unlike I-732 in 2016, environmentalists were unified.
California Achieved its Climate Goal; Now the Hard Part Begins
New York Times climate reporter, Brad Plumer, comments on California's landmark accomplishment in reducing emissions, observing that with the low-hanging electricity generation fruit picked, reducing transportation emissions will prove formidable.
Trump Rebuffed by Federal Energy Commissioners on Coal and Nuclear Power Bailout
Last month the Trump administration directed Energy Secretary Rick Perry to require grid operators to purchase power from aging coal and nuclear power plants, enabling them to keep operating as a matter of "national security." Regulators disagree.
Global Reverberations from EPA Rollback of Fuel Economy Standards
Relaxed U.S. fuel economy standards, as Environmental Protection Administration chief Scott Pruitt announced on April 2, would have effects extending far beyond the United States.
More National Attention Focused on Controversial California Housing Bill
Conor Dougherty, a Bay Area-based New York Times economics reporter, and Brad Plumer, a Times climate reporter, team-up to tackle the controversy surrounding SB 827 that has hit a raw nerve with groups that purport to support the bill's goals.
State of the Union: The Major Policy President Trump Missed
No, this post is not about the Russia investigation nor #MeToo, but the state of climate policy in the U.S. after President Trump's first year. Surprisingly, it's not as bad as one might think, no thanks to Trump though.
Host Nation Reveals Embarrassment as Climate Talks End
It's not so easy weaning itself from dirty coal power, one reason why Germany likely won't meet its 2020 greenhouse gas reduction targets. But they will have plenty of company, though all targets are voluntary.
The Era of the Electric Vehicle is Approaching
A new report from Bloomberg New Energy Finance predicts that due to a plunge in battery prices and improvement in battery technology, electric vehicles will be cost-competitive with gasoline vehicles in eight years. By 2040, they will outsell them.
Can 'Clean Coal Technology' Be Cost-Effective for Natural Gas?
Nations have sunk billions of dollars into carbon capture and storage for coal plants and have little to show for it. A new natural gas demonstration plant outside Houston is confident it is up to the task — without using federal grants.
Oroville Dam Crisis Foreseen Over 11 Years Ago
Had federal authorities acted on the motion filed by three environmental groups in October 2005, nearly 200,000 people in three counties would not have been forced to evacuate due to a poorly constructed emergency spillway for Oroville Dam.
All Eyes on California's New Emissions Reductions Requirement
As difficult as it was for the legislature to pass SB 32 on Aug. 24, reducing emissions 40 percent below 1990 levels by 2030 will prove far more challenging. Brad Plumer, senior editor of Vox, explains the bill and what it will take to meet the goal.
How Antonin Scalia's Death May Affect the Paris Climate Accord
Scalia's death means that the Supreme Court is left with eight remaining judges. In the case of a tie vote, the decision from a lower court is upheld with some restrictions. A tie vote on the Clean Power Plan may be good news for the environment.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
City of Albany
UCLA Lewis Center for Regional Policy Studies
Mpact (formerly Rail~Volution)
Chaddick Institute at DePaul University
City of Piedmont, CA
Great Falls Development Authority, Inc.
HUDs Office of Policy Development and Research
