greenhouse gas
-
It's a very reasonable question: electric cars themselves have no tailpipe emissions, but what about the power plants used to recharge them? After more than a dozen studies and five-plus years of plug-in car sales, we know the answer. In North America, an electric car charged on even the dirtiest, most coal-intensive electric grid in the nation has wells-to-wheels carbon emissions no higher than that of a very fuel-efficient car. DON'T MISS: Are Electric Cars Really Bad For The Planet? Simple Math Says No (Feb 2012) In the best of cases, electric cars charged on very clean grids have such low...
-
Cars Vs. Planes: Which Emits More Carbon? (Which Sins Worse?)
Eco-activists often indict air travel as a carbon-spewing threat to the global climate. Worldwide, commercial jets pour an estimated 700 million tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere each year, leading to headlines like this one in The New York Times not long ago: “Your Biggest Carbon...
David Noland -
Every New Car Emission-Free By 2050? 'ZEV Alliance' Plans To Make It So
A coalition of local and national governments commits to ambitious goals for zero-emission vehicles.
Stephen Edelstein -
Greenhouse Gas Emissions From Cars In Germany: Getting Worse, Actually
A German government study finds that transportation-related emissions have increased since 1990.
Stephen Edelstein -
Cross-Border Carbon: Mexico Sets Limit On Climate-Change Emissions
Mexico is one of the first countries to submit an emissions-reduction plan ahead of U.N. climate-change negotiations.
Stephen Edelstein -
UK Official Says Encouraging Diesel Cars To Lower Carbon Was 'Wrong'
Air pollution from diesel exhaust is a major concern in the U.K.
Stephen Edelstein -
Would you trust a politician who believes the earth is flat? Or that the sun revolves around the earth? Or that the Holocaust never happened? No? Then what do we make of politicians who continue to deny the accepted scientific consensus that human activity is affecting the climate? DON'T MISS: U.S. And China Agree To Curb Greenhouse Gas Emissions, Presidents Say In fact, should denying that climate science is valid disqualify a politician from holding public office in which he or she can make public policy? That's the question posed by political analyst Jonathan Chait in a provocative and...
-
In Just One Year, Electric Cars Have Gotten Cleaner: How'd They Do That?
Electric cars have no tailpipe emissions, but their overall impact on the environment includes the electricity generated to recharge their batteries. The carbon emissions associated with that power vary greatly, depending on the local utility that provides it. Now an updated study from the Union of...
John Voelcker -
Will Your Car One Day Capture All Its Carbon Emissions?
Producing carbon dioxide is an unavoidable part of burning fuel in cars. The problem with this of course is that carbon dioxide is a greenhouse gas. And the more cars there are on the road, the more sources of this greenhouse gas there are. The concept of carbon dioxide capturing has been theorized...
Antony Ingram -
Atmospheric Carbon Is Higher, Faster, This Year Than Last
Atmospheric CO2 levels have already exceeded last year's annual peak.
Stephen Edelstein -
Keystone Pipeline Fight: Insignificant 'Sideshow' To EPA Power-Plant Limits?
In the ongoing battles over renewable versus hydrocarbon energy--and the associated public policies, advocacy, and media coverage--the Keystone XL Pipeline has emerged as a flashpoint. Now a long analysis in The New York Times, along with associated commentary elsewhere, argues that Keystone's...
John Voelcker -
'Super Greenhouse Gas' Emissions From Air Conditioning A Climate Concern
Leaking air-conditioner refrigerant may be increasingly contributing to global warming.
Stephen Edelstein -
Give Felix Kramer credit for thinking big. Twelve years ago, he and others founded CalCars, a group dedicated to promoting plug-in hybrid vehicles with large battery packs--and built the world's first plug-in Prius hybrid. Now he and coauthor Gil Friend have published an audacious proposal to buy up and shut down every private and public coal company operating in the United States. MORE: Electric Utilities Now Fighting Home Solar As Threat To Their Business The price: a surprisingly low $50 billion. The pair's goal is to eliminate coal as a fuel for generating electricity in the U.S. Compared...
-
Hyundai On Hydrogen Fuel-Cell Vehicles: Critiquing Its Claims
Every so often, Hyundai posts an entry on its "Hyundai Like Sunday" blog, which promotes itself as "Truth, Candor and Conversation." Two months ago, the company's Elizabeth Chun offered some thoughts on its upcoming 2015 Hyundai Tucson Fuel Cell compact crossover. That vehicle will be offered for...
John Voelcker -
Pricing Carbon Emissions? Bring It On, Say Some Large Companies
Several large companies are prepared to pay for carbon emissions in the near future.
Stephen Edelstein -
Blood And Gore: Coal Is Becoming A Stranded Asset
In case you hadn't noticed, it's Halloween. So how could we not comment on an article whose byline reads Gore and Blood? Their topic may be slightly esoteric, but it has big implications for our energy future. It's all about stranded assets--those that lose economic value well ahead of their...
Antony Ingram -
The Next Big Emissions Battle Is Not Cars; It's About Coal
The rules for vehicle gas mileage are pretty much locked down from now through 2025. The math is complicated, but vehicles in 2025 will have to reach a fleet-wide average of 54.5 mpg by 2025--or about 42 mpg on their window stickers. So what's the next battleground over reducing emissions? It's...
John Voelcker -
Greenhouse Gases & Where They Really Come From: Infographic
We love data. And we love simple but informative graphic presentations of complex data even more. Which leads us to today's infographic, a presentation of the sources and activities that produce greenhouse gases as a result of human activity. Inspired by an earlier similar graphic from 2005, the...
John Voelcker -
In addition to tailpipe emissions and greenhouse gases, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency also regulates other materials in cars that may emit substances harmful to humans. And so it is that the 2013 Cadillac XTS large luxury sedan will become the first U.S. vehicle to use a new refrigerant for its air-conditioning system with a lower carbon-dioxide impact. The new substance is known as R-1234yf, and it replaces today's standard refrigerant, known as R-134a. Vehicles built in the European Community since January 1, 2011, are required to use the new refrigerant. It is presently supplied...
-
Why An Old, Used Honda Civic Hybrid Is Good For Your Health
We all know that the venerable Toyota Prius is the most well-known of all hybrids on the market today, both in terms of numbers made and its impressive gas mileage. But if you’re in the market for a used hybrid you might be surprised to know that a used 2006-2010 Honda Civic Hybrid might be...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
When Did Cars Become The Yardstick For Measuring Pollution?
If you've ever visited a museum or a manufacturing plant, you've probably heard a tour guide say something like this: "And if you laid all these bottles end-to-end, they'd stretch clear across the state of Kansas!" Through time and repetition, certain comparisons have become standardized, so that...
Richard Read -
Want To Clean Up The Planet? Spay Your Pet, THEN Buy a Prius
Cutting carbon emissions is complex. And there are a lot of myths and misinformation out there. The effective impact of some actions--reusing your grocery bags, for instance--is relatively low. Other methods, things that many people never even consider, are considerably more effective. For...
John Voelcker -
Can Condoms Curb Climate Change Cheaper Than Low-Carbon Cars?
The Frankfurt Auto Show just wound up today, and most of the concept cars focus on lowering carbon dioxide emissions. Volkswagen, for instance, launched a two-seat "1-Liter" concept car that gets a remarkable 170 miles per gallon. But suppose all the money we're investing in better gas mileage and...
John Voelcker -
Greening The Rouge: Ford's More Sustainable Pickup Plant
A green roof is not at its most photogenic in a Michigan winter. In fact, it's hardly green at all--more like gray and brown--though it still insulates the building below just as well. But while some of the green aspects of Ford's showcase Rouge assembly plant have succumbed to the January weather...
John Voelcker