Category «Climate Change»

The State of VMT & Congestion: How Rising Trends Impact U.S. Metros

When pandemic stay-at-home orders caused a dramatic decline in Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT), many hoped the rise of remote work would reverse the trend of rising congestion, making way for cleaner, quieter, and more open streets. But VMT quickly bounced back from pandemic lows. Now 2024 sees new record highs in metros across the U.S. …

Subjects: Climate Change, Environmental Law, Transportation

A World of Waste: Risks and opportunities in household waste management

World Risk Poll: “As the global population continues to expand and development accelerates, the volume of waste generated worldwide is increasing at an unprecedented rate. Safely managing this growing waste burden is an escalating challenge with significant implications not only for the environment but also for human health, safety, and wellbeing. Download the report here …

Subjects: Climate Change, Economy, Environmental Law, Food and Nutrition, Health Care

Flooded Again: Visualizing Repeated Flooding Across the U.S.

NRDC: “For communities across the country, flooding is an all-too-frequent experience—and, often, one with devastating consequences.  Over 250,000 properties in the United States have had multiple claims under the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP). These “repetitive loss properties” are found in every U.S. state as well as Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, and …

Subjects: Climate Change, Economy, Environmental Law, Financial System, Health Care, Housing, Legal Research

Huge study from The Economist about car bloat in the US

The Economist [unpaywalled]: “…For all the safety features available in cars today to help them avoid crashes, the laws of physics are cruel. When two vehicles collide, it is usually the heavier one that prevails. This advantage has changed little over time. Thirty years ago when a passenger car crashed with a pickup truck or …

Subjects: Climate Change, Energy, Health Care, Transportation

A bottle of water per email: the hidden environmental costs of using AI chatbots

Washington Post [unpaywalled]: AI bots generate a lot of heat, and keeping their computer servers running exacts a toll. Roughly a quarter of Americans have used ChatGPT since the chatbot’s 2022 release, according to the Pew Research Center — and every query exacts a cost. Chatbots use an immense amount of power to respond to …

Subjects: AI, Climate Change, Energy, Environmental Law

MA only state to successfully cut food wasts

Washington Post: “Researchers studied the effect of five laws requiring supermarkets and restaurants to reduce waste, part of a broader effort to keep food out of landfills, where it contributes to climate change…Nearly every state-led effort to ban food waste analyzed by researchers appears to be failing — except one, according to a new study. …

Subjects: Climate Change, Economy, Environmental Law, Food and Nutrition

Where Are the Trees?

JSOR Daily: “Trees are more than just a pretty sight in urban environments. Nestled amidst sidewalks, pavement, and concrete, the sight of an oak or maple tree has always been a refreshing touch of home for me in a bustling city. Beyond their aesthetic value, trees provide numerous tangible benefits to the holistic environmental health …

Subjects: Climate Change, Environmental Law, Health Care

U.S. Landslide Inventory and Susceptibility Map

“Landslides are a damaging, disruptive, and potentially deadly geologic hazard. While landslides occur in every U.S. State, their impacts are often a localized and episodic phenomenon, plus landslide types and triggering mechanisms vary widely across the country. Looking at past incidents help us to understand and prepare for landslides, but information about historic landslide events …

Subjects: Climate Change, E-Government, Environmental Law, Search Engines