The International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD), a Canada-based research group, is calling for world leaders to band together to phase out fossil fuel subsidies.
From the IISD's press release:
"A national pledge to phase out fossil-fuel subsidies will free up valuable fiscal resources that can be redirected to fund other sustainable development priorities, provide the opportunity to introduce more targeted measures to support low-income households, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and help incentivize investments in renewable energy."
The report claims that global fossil-fuel consumption subsidies added up to $312 billion in 2009 and $558 billion in 2008.
"Fossil-fuel consumption subsidies distort market prices, creating a gap between the domestically subsidized price and the international market price. This situation has serious fiscal and economic ramifications for the country implementing the subsidies."
Read the full story: IISD calls for countries to phase out all fossil fuel subsidies
Has Alternative Transportation Received Too Much Attention?
Joseph Stomberg of Vox has initiated a series of articles on commuting in America, the first based on the issues explaining the domination of the auto, the second on the debate about the driving decline associated with millennials.
Gas Prices Fueling Political Squabbles
The highest gas prices since the summer of 2008 have the two political parties taking separate approaches toward the oil industry - each showing how effective they are at killing each other's plans.
The Carbon Footprint of NASCAR
A Grist writer and environmentalist takes a trip to the Talladega Superspeedway to try to understand what the petroleum-wasting is really all about.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
Amtrak, CN end decades-long dispute with eight-year agreement
The new operating agreement establishes an updated framework for the companies to work together, including processes to resolve disputes.
Judges permit Denver to divert 77,000 acre feet from the Colorado River for reservoir expansion
Overuse and climate change have caused the Colorado River’s water levels to plummet.
Atlanta City Council unanimously backs $3.5 billion Beltline light rail project
The resolution was drafted after Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens pulled support for the Atlanta Streetcar extension last year.
SEPTA to bring nearby frequent transit to over 1 million new riders as part of decade-long plan
The agency's Accelerate plan will also bring frequent transit to twice the amount of jobs that are currently located near it.
NYC plants over 18,000 trees, the most new foliage in a decade
Many of the trees were planted in communities vulnerable to extreme heat.
FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?
After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.
Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold
The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.
City of Thousand Oaks
City of Wisconsin Rapids
Harvard University Graduate School of Design
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
The Pocatello Development Authority
The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello