Unless international carbon-capping treaties are implemented, fossil fuel consumption (with their greenhouse gas emissions) will increase 50% by 2030, largely resulting from growth in energy consumption in China and other developing nations.
"The Energy Information Administration's long-range forecast to 2030 said the world is not close to abandoning fossil fuels. It said the steepest increases in energy use will come in China and other developing economies, including some in the Middle East and Africa, where energy demand is expected to be 85 percent greater in 2030 than it is today.
The outlook largely assumes no mandatory international agreements on capping greenhouse gases, especially heat-trapping carbon dioxide...Fossil fuel use "could be altered substantially" by such deals, the report said. Without such limits, the annual amount of carbon dioxide flowing into the atmosphere would be 51 percent greater in 2030 than it was three years ago, the study said."
"Global demand for liquid fuels - mostly oil - will grow to 113 million barrels a day by 2030, nearly one-third more than is consumed today, the report said. But high prices could have an impact, shaving demand by as much as 13 million barrels a day."
Read the full story: No end seen on reliance on oil, fossil fuels
Making Natural Gas Power Plants Cleaner
Carbon capture and storage has long been associated with coal-burning power plants. Calpine Corp. hopes to apply the controversial technology to existing natural gas power plants, beginning with a pilot project to start this month in the Bay Area.
U.S. Becomes Net Oil Exporter, If Only Briefly
Oil independence, a goal set by President Nixon in the depth of the 1973 energy embargo, was achieved in the last week of November thanks to a fluke in record keeping as well as an "unprecedented boom in American oil production."
U.S. on Track to Record Oil Production This Year
The current U.S. record is 10 million barrels per day set in 1970. Last year averaged 9.2 million b/d. Experts believe that record will be reached this spring, if it hasn't already. Can Trump claim credit for the surging production?
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
California plans to bury El Niño’s downpour
If the state plays its cards right, it may be able to store a billion acre-feet of El Niño’s water in aquifers.
Desperate measures: Advocates weigh draining Lake Powell to fill Colorado River
Draining the reservoir could reduce evaporation losses by a couple hundred thousand acre-feet.
Chicago voters approve permanent festival grounds, penalty for vacant property owners
Currently, major summer and fall festivals take over public parks for weeks at a time, drawing criticism from nearby residents
NYC votes to cut outdoor dining red tape, speed up permitting
New York City also voted to allow the Department of Transportation to begin work on urgent projects before notifying elected officials.
California appears to reject Prop. 45
The proposition would have expanded the projects that qualify for a streamlined environmental review, effectively paring down the California Environmental Quality Act.
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 Rosemead
Rutgers University, Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy
One Hundred Miles
Hunter College, City University of New York (CUNY)
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
City of Cambridge
Montrose County
The Pocatello Development Authority