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The Planetizen News Brief

26 April 2007 - 7:00am
Smart City Radio

The Planetizen News Brief is a weekly rundown of some of the most interesting and important news and issues of the past week.

The Planetizen News Brief airs every week on the nationally-syndicated radio program "Smart City", which is broadcast in cities across the U.S. Learn more about Smart City and listen to archived shows.

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Full Transcript

Whether you noticed it or not, last Sunday was Earth Day. New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg celebrated the often-disregarded occasion by announcing a plan for the next quarter-century that includes more than 100 efforts to handle the city’s future and growth in environmentally friendly ways. The New York Times reports that the plan includes many efforts to reduce the city’s energy consumption, plant more than a million trees, and make citywide improvements to public transportation. His most controversial proposal is the creation of a congestion pricing system that would charge drivers to enter Manhattan during peak hours. Similar traffic regulations have been implemented in London and Stockholm, and while they have been the subject of many complaints and much controversy, transportation experts have found them to be successful in reducing congestion and air pollution. The mayor's plan will now head to the governor, who will make the final decision to approve many of the proposals -- and the overall price tag, which is in the billions.

And while New York’s may be one of the most progressive plans to address global warming, a county in California is being sued because its plan doesn’t even consider the impending effects of climate change. The state attorney general has joined environmental groups in a lawsuit against the southern California county of San Bernardino because its long-term growth plan does not include any studies into how the county can reduce its greenhouse gas emissions. The San Bernardino Sun reports that county officials have gone on the defense, saying that their plan was already in late stages of development when the state passed its law requiring the consideration of global warming last September. But the attorney general is not backing down, saying that because San Bernardino County is one of the fastest-growing counties in the state, its growth will have a significant impact on the climate.

And finally, the Russian government has revealed plans to build the world’s longest tunnel. And not just the world’s longest tunnel, but an intercontinental tunnel. This proposed tunnel would link Siberia to the tip of Alaska by creating a 64-mile long underwater tunnel, twice as long as the Chunnel between England and France. Bloomberg reports that the tunnel would include pipelines for oil, natural gas, and electricity, as well as a highway and a high-speed railway. Russian and Asian governments are hoping this intercontinental link will help to provide resources to remote locations in Siberia, and that the tunnel will serve as a new east-west transport corridor. If approved, the project would take about 10 to 15 years to complete.

Stories discussed in this week's Planetizen News Brief

New York City Considers Congestion Charges

County Sued Because General Plan Doesn't Consider Global Warming

World's Longest Tunnel Planned

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