Environment

The Calif. Air Resources Board received uplifting news from the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals this week when they rejected the charge that the Low Carbon Fuel Standard, designed to reduce carbon intensity in fuel, impeded interstate commerce.

September 20, 2013 - Reuters

Urban forests may possess the power to battle climate change. We just have to figure out what is more important: quantity or quality?

September 19, 2013 - Mark Hough

How much methane, a powerful but short-lived greenhouse gas is released during fracking operations for natural gas? Until now, all studies, including those by the EPA, were done by estimates. This study went to over 500 well sites to measure leaks.

September 19, 2013 - The New York Times - U.S.

As China's hazardous environment becomes a "potent political issue", the central government has released a detailed plan that aims to clean up the country's abysmal air pollution.

September 18, 2013 - The New York Times

Senator Steinberg's CEQA reform bill, SB 731, which we have been following all year, died - but many of the most important aspects - LOS, aesthetic and parking impacts, have been transferred to SB 743 (Kings Arena bill), though applied more narrowly.

September 17, 2013 - Streetsblog LA

Bowing to threats that Nevada would pull out of a regional planning compact, California lawmakers agreed to increase development around Lake Tahoe last week. Environmentalists who are challenging the plan see the agreement as a capitulation.

September 17, 2013 - Los Angeles Times

Disaster insurance isn’t just a pain in the neck. It could help us live better within a changing climate.

September 17, 2013 - The Conversation

While the alternative outlined in a long-awaited U.S. Army Corps of Engineers feasibility study envisions a major reshaping of an 11-mile stretch of the L.A. River, the recommendation falls far short of what local leaders and activists had preferred.

September 16, 2013 - Los Angeles Times

SB 4 passed the legislature over strong objections from the oil and business community. California will go from having no well stimulation (includes acidizing) regulation set in statute to the nation's toughest, so why are environmentalists unhappy?

September 13, 2013 - Los Angeles Times - Business

As long-debated reforms meant to streamline California's landmark Environmental Quality Act near passage, interest groups from the right and left have found plenty to quibble with. But in two key areas, observers are cheering new amendments.

September 12, 2013 - California Planning & Development Report

Call it the law of unintended consequences. Alerts of "bad air days" that ask motorists in the Wasatch Front to reduce driving had the opposite effect, prompting some residents to drive away from lowlands to the mountains where air may be healthier.

September 12, 2013 - The Salt Lake Tribune

A new study from the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization found that the 1.3 billion tons of food wasted every year make it one of the largest sources of greenhouse gas emissions.

September 12, 2013 - Los Angeles Times

For years, science has been catching up to the intuitive wisdom that spending time in, or adjacent to, nature has physical and mental health benefits. The ASLA has collected a trove of this research in one easy to navigate website.

September 11, 2013 - ASLA

As one of the world's most respected voices on climate change prepares the final draft of its latest report on the warming planet, a debate is playing out behind the scenes as to whether it is intentionally downplaying the potential impacts.

September 10, 2013 - The New York Times

The candidates competing to emerge from today's mayoral primary confront a host of challenges that threaten the quality of life in the Big Apple. Five experts identify the issues they believe are key to improving the city's livability.

September 10, 2013 - The New York Times

The wastewater well from the process of hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, triggered 167 earthquakes in and around Youngstown, Ohio, during a single year of operation, according to research in the Journal of Geophysical Research.

September 8, 2013 - NBC News

A report by NOAA & UK's Met Office says climate change may have contributed some of the extreme weather events in 2012.

September 7, 2013 - The Guardian

John Upton notes some startling changes among Gulf oil refineries - the ones that had been clamoring for the Keystone XL pipeline to be built in order to access Canada's oil sands. It's been two years - and the oil is flowing - with or without it.

September 7, 2013 - Grist

Siemens and C40 have announced the winners of the inaugural City Climate Leadership Awards, recognizing the global cities demonstrating leadership and innovation in fighting climate change across ten separate categories.

September 7, 2013 - Fast Company Co.Exist

Keynote at Future of Cities Forum conference argued that carbon neutrality is not enough, He urged cities to adopt regenerative urban development that mimic natural processes and actively improve the environment.

September 6, 2013 - Future Cities