Carbon Emissions

Close-up of Hybrid logo on back of silver Toyota sedan.

Toyota’s Hybrid Popularity Outpaces Production Worldwide

Soaring global demand for Toyota's hybrid vehicles is straining the automaker’s supply chain, leading to widespread delays as component shortages and limited production capacity challenge its ability to keep up.

April 1, 2025 - Reuters

Close-up of open charging port with charging cable plugged in on yellow electric school bus.

Pittsburgh Rolls Out Electric School Buses

Pittsburgh Public Schools has launched its first electric school buses, with plans to fully electrify its fleet over the next 14 months, aiming to create a cleaner, more sustainable transportation system supported by new charging infrastructure.

March 31, 2025 - CBS Pittsburgh

Two white and red Stadler electric Caltrain trains next to each other on a sunny day.

Which US Rail Agencies Are Buying Zero-Emissions Trains?

U.S. rail agencies are slowly making the shift to zero-emissions trains, which can travel longer distances without refueling and reduce air pollution.

March 30, 2025 - Smart Cities Dive

Glass building with green tree behind it.

EPA Terminates $116 Million in Grants for Reducing Emissions from Construction Materials

C-MORE grants were earmarked for industry trade groups and universities.

March 27, 2025 - Inside Climate News

Row of double-headed street lights against orange sunset sky.

How Smart Street Lights Can Help Cities Achieve Sustainability Goals

Switching to energy-efficient LEDs and using tech to program when and how street lighting operates can save cities millions in electricity expenses and bring down carbon emissions.

March 27, 2025 - Cities Today

View of Los Angeles skyline at sunrise with yellow and green trees in foreground

LA’s Trees Absorb More Carbon Than Expected, But Can’t Do It Alone

A USC study finds that Los Angeles’ urban trees absorb more carbon than expected, but while they provide crucial environmental benefits, they cannot replace the urgent need for systemic emissions reductions.

February 28, 2025 - Phys.org

View of cars in traffic from behind with visible tailpipe emissions

Report: 14 States Increased Per-Capita Carbon Emissions

Many of the states on the list are red-leaning states that fought against federal environmental reporting regulations.

November 20, 2024 - Streetsblog USA

Close-up of pipe labeled with yellow and black Natural Gas sticker.

Louisiana Planning Massive ‘Mystery’ Data Center

The center would be powered by a new, 1,500-megawatt natural gas plant, which critics say will drive up emissions and contribute negatively to the region’s air quality.

November 19, 2024 - Floodlight

Two-lane rural road with stoplights hanging above roadway and construction visible in distance.

Report: Some Rural States Ahead of More Urbanized Ones in Reducing Transportation Emissions

This is a largely unintended consequence of states with lower populations and resources focusing on repairing existing roads and infrastructure rather than expanding and building new roads.

November 14, 2024 - Bloomberg CityLab

View of Washington state capitol dome in Olympia, Washington at golden hour.

Washington Voters Keep Carbon Tax

An initiative that would have ended the state’s “cap and invest” program failed, leaving the program in place.

November 12, 2024 - Governing

Man in black and red jacket using backpack-mounted leaf blower on large pile of brown leaves.

Baltimore Bans Gas Leafblowers

The devices release as much air pollution as driving 1,100 miles and have been banned in over 100 U.S. cities.

October 17, 2024 - The Cool Down

View from back of woman and child walking on London street wearing warm clothes with a black cab visible in background.

London Low-Emissions Zone Prompts Shift to Active Modes

More children are using active transportation modes to get to school in the wake of a policy that charges drivers to enter a low-emissions zone in central London.

September 24, 2024 - Grist

Aerial view of cooling towers on data center roof.

Data Center Emissions Far Outpace Tech Company Claims

In-house data centers owned by several major tech companies likely produce over six times as many greenhouse gas emissions as their owners estimate.

September 18, 2024 - The Guardian

Red and white Caltrain electric train at platform in San Jose, California.

Caltrain Introduces Electric Train Fleet

The Bay Area agency will switch to all electric trains by the end of September.

September 12, 2024 - FOX News

Close-up of traffic congestion from behind cars on a freeway in the San Francisco Bay Area.

States Claim Highway Expansions Reduce Emissions

The argument is being used to channel climate funding to projects that expand automobile infrastructure, according to an analysis from Transportation for America.

August 12, 2024 - Bloomberg CityLab

Close-up of colorful zoning map of unidentified city.

How Zoning Affects Greenhouse Gas Emissions

As the urgency of the climate crisis increases, a paper in the Notre Dame Law Review argues that increased density is not a universally effective strategy to reduce emissions and that different strategies are needed for low-carbon places versus high-carbon ones.

June 6, 2024 - Nate Luce

Aerial view of a line of freight trucks driving on a country highway.

How Cities Can Lead the Way in Reducing Transportation Emissions

Decisions made at the local level can have a significant impact on emissions in the transportation sector.

May 23, 2024 - Governing

Close-up of car tailpipe with smoke coming out.

Texas Court Vacates Federal Emissions Rule

The decision vacates a USDOT rule that would have required states to establish emission reduction plans.

March 31, 2024 - Smart Cities Dive

Close-up of white electric car charging symbol on black pavement in parking spaces.

How New Federal Rule Could Impact EV Adoption

An adjustment to federal pollution limits will require a greater share of low-carbon vehicles, but the rule also gives automakers some flexibility in deploying electric and hybrid cars.

March 22, 2024 - The Hill

View of highway overpass under construction from underneath.

The Infrastructure Law Could Increase Transportation Emissions

With so much funding going to highway construction and expansion, the 2021 law could add 69 million metric tons of carbon to the atmosphere in the next two decades.

February 21, 2024 - Smart Cities Dive

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.

Top Books

An annual review of books related to planning.

Top Schools

The definitive ranking of graduate planning programs.

100 Most Influential Urbanists

The who's who of urbanism, according to Planetizen readers.

Urban Planning Creators You Should Know

A short list of voices on social, video, and podcasting platforms.