Reflecting on the significance and impact of Superstorm Sandy, Bill McKibben and Lawrence J. Hanley propose a 3-step process focused on mass transit that America should pursue to promote community development, public health and the environment.
For McKibben and Hanley, Hurricane Sandy has made it clear that politicians can no longer push climate change under the rug. Climate change contributes to rising sea levels and record heat waves, and the implications of these phenomenon are more apparent that ever before. For one significant place to tackle carbon emissions, they point to the transportation sector, and its role in contributing to 27 percent of total U.S. greenhouse gas emissions. That's not the only way in which our auto-reliant lifestyles are harming the country. "The transport sector," they say, "contributes 80 percent of the harmful air pollutants that cause 1.3 million premature deaths each year. Road fatalities claim 33,000 lives per year on average, making traffic accidents the number one killer of people under 34 in the U.S. And traffic congestion is known to elevate stress levels and reduce quality of life for millions."
On the other hand, explain McKibben and Hanley, data from a recent poll conducted by the Natural Resources Defense Council suggests that Americans are ready and willing to use public transportation and that they want to be less car dependent. However, they are often confronted with obstacles including what many believe are "outdated, unreliable and inefficient" public transportation systems across the country. The 3-steps they propose to address these matters includes: (1) stopping the budget cuts on public transit, (2) redirecting federal investments to expand and improve transit systems, and (3) making transit free or less costly by reallocating fossil fuel subsidies.
In conclusion, they warn that Hurricane Sandy was a “harbinger of what the future will bring” with continued global warming, and articulately state that “[w]hen Sandy flooded New York's subways, it brought the city to a halt. Re-opening the system was a challenge -- but the real challenge is bringing mass transit to a nation that very much wants it.”
FULL STORY: Think About the Transportation Sector

Manufactured Crisis: Losing the Nation’s Largest Source of Unsubsidized Affordable Housing
Manufactured housing communities have long been an affordable housing option for millions of people living in the U.S., but that affordability is disappearing rapidly. How did we get here?

Americans May Be Stuck — But Why?
Americans are moving a lot less than they once did, and that is a problem. While Yoni Applebaum, in his highly-publicized article Stuck, gets the reasons badly wrong, it's still important to ask: why are we moving so much less than before?

Using Old Oil and Gas Wells for Green Energy Storage
Penn State researchers have found that repurposing abandoned oil and gas wells for geothermal-assisted compressed-air energy storage can boost efficiency, reduce environmental risks, and support clean energy and job transitions.

Updating LA’s Tree Rules Could Bring More Shade to Underserved Neighborhoods
A new USC study finds that relaxing Los Angeles’ outdated tree planting guidelines could significantly expand urban tree canopy and reduce shade disparities in lower-income neighborhoods, though infrastructure investments are also needed.

California's Canal Solar Projects Aim to Conserve Resources and Expand Clean Energy
California’s Project Nexus has begun generating electricity from solar panels installed over irrigation canals, with researchers and state agencies exploring statewide expansion to conserve water and boost clean energy production.

HHS Staff Cuts Gut Energy Assistance Program
The full staff of a federal program that distributes heating and cooling assistance for low-income families was laid off, jeopardizing the program’s operations.
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