Airlines argue in the European Court of Justice that the EU's Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) is an overreach when imposed on flights to/from Europe.
Emissions by air travel accounts for approximately 3% of the world's pollution, a figure that pales in comparison to other industries'. Adopting the ETS, Europe's cap-and-trade equivalent, will cost the airline industry an estimated $1.6 billion annually, the amount that will be reflected in higher ticket price for consumers.
According to The Economist, "a global carbon market would be better than a European one, but there is no prospect of one starting up any time soon. Nor is the airline industry about to volunteer to pay for the pollution it causes."
"The airlines have a point when they complain that Europe could impose its rules in a discriminatory manner. The ETS requirements can be waived on flights from nations that have what the EU sees as 'equivalent measures' in place-and Brussels will decide what counts as equivalent. The plan would be fairer if such disputes were referred to a neutral forum in which 'equivalent measures' could be defined. And it would be more palatable if governments cut the taxes that they currently justify in the name of greenery."
FULL STORY: Clean-air turbulence
The 20 Dirtiest Cities in the U.S.
California has 7 of the 20 cities with the poorest air quality, according to a list complied by Forbes. Bakersfield, which has 60 days of unhealthy air a year, takes the top spot for its hot and dusty weather and proximity to oil fields.
First study of NYC congestion zone’s air quality impact shows improvements
The study also examined air quality around freeways which experts worried would see increased traffic from people avoiding the tolls.
Report: 75% of NYC warehouses are in 'disadvantaged communities'
Low-income New Yorkers are 1.2 times more likely to live within half a mile of a warehouse.
The state-sanctioned urbicide of Austin
People don’t kill cities. Freeways do.
US to reduce Colorado River water deliveries to Mexico
A new Colorado Treaty amendment reduces Mexico’s Colorado River water allocation by 250,000 acre feet.
New Jersey’s second-largest city bans standalone data centers
Jersey City will continue to allow co-location facilities, such as those meant for research institutions that store their own data.
Amtrak not solely to blame for New Jersey commuter rail's unreliability, report finds
A new study from the Garden State Initiative found that NJ Transit’s budget grew 20% across a 4 year period, but reliability declined significantly over the same period.
EPA erases limits on planet-warming pollution from power plants
Under Monday’s plan, power plants would still have some limits on how much mercury, arsenic and other contaminants they can emit.
Phoenix announces new on-demand transit service, more frequent RAPID buses
Both new services will launch in October, and are part of Phoenix's Project Effective Access Solutions for Easing Congestion.
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.
Eagle County Government
Harvard University Graduate School of Design
Nashville Planning Department
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
The Pocatello Development Authority
The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello
Journal of the American Planning Association