China turning over a new leaf on pollution and greenhouse gases.

Despite what you might have heard from politicians about China's use of coal, the country's greenhouse gas emissions are actually declining. "China’s coal use and carbon emissions have dropped for the last two years. In 2015, China cut its coal use 3.7 percent and its emissions declined an estimated 1–2 percent, following similar decreases in 2014," according to an article by Ben Adler in Grist.
This decrease takes place as China enters a new phase of its development, with future growth no longer completely dominated by manufacturing and heavy industry but moving more toward service industries. Adler believes this, along with seven other reasons, point to a long-term revision in China’s attitude toward climate change.
Among the seven reasons highlighted in the article, Adler cites:
- China's soon-to-be-launched carbon market
- New nuclear, solar, and wind power generation
- Updates to China's building codes that emphasize efficiency
Adler concedes that some of the slowdown in pollution is tied to a slowdown in the Chinese economy and that these gains will shrink when Chinese consumers have the confidence to buy, and drive as they have in years past. But, the structural changes will remain and that should be good news to those concerned about climate change.
FULL STORY: 7 Signs that China is Serious about Combating Climate Change

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Trump deemed the landmark civil rights agreement “illegal DEI and environmental justice policy.”

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

The 120 Year Old Tiny Home Villages That Sheltered San Francisco’s Earthquake Refugees
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Contrary to popular assumptions, public transportation has far lower crash and crime rates than automobile travel. For safer communities, improve and encourage transit travel.

Report: Zoning Reforms Should Complement Nashville’s Ambitious Transit Plan
Without reform, restrictive zoning codes will limit the impact of the city’s planned transit expansion and could exclude some of the residents who depend on transit the most.

Judge Orders Release of Frozen IRA, IIJA Funding
The decision is a victory for environmental groups who charged that freezing funds for critical infrastructure and disaster response programs caused “real and irreparable harm” to communities.
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