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Cars Threaten Climate Goals in Blue States
Scientific American ^ | April 17, 2018 | By Benjamin Storrow

Posted on 04/18/2018 7:57:23 AM PDT by Oldeconomybuyer

With few coal plants left to shutter, transportation is the main hurdle to meeting emissions targets.

Liberal states’ carbon-cutting plans are stuck in traffic. Literally. Transportation emissions threaten to undercut blue states’ climate goals, raising questions about their ability to lead U.S. climate efforts at a time when the federal government is rolling back environmental regulations.

Emissions from cars, trucks and other mobile sources are on the rise nationally. In 2016, they overtook power plants as America’s largest source of greenhouse gases. But the situation is exacerbated in blue states, where power-sector emissions have plummeted and planet-warming tailpipe pollution remains stubbornly high.

Yet plans to tackle automobile emissions remain in their infancy outside California, which has implemented an economywide cap-and-trade program and a host of policies aimed at curbing carbon from cars and trucks. “The policy innovation at the state level has largely been focused on power and not on comprehensive solutions,” said John Larsen, an analyst at the Rhodium Group. “Tackling emissions outside the power sector is required if states are going to continue to lead.”

Even if California brushes Trump aside, the sheer size of the emissions reduction needed in the transportation sector is daunting. Transportation accounted for 39 percent of 440.4 million tons of greenhouse gases emitted in California during 2015. The power sector, by contrast, was 11 percent. “We have the cleanest power sector we know how to make, and there’s still a long way to go,” said Wara, the Stanford researcher.

(Excerpt) Read more at scientificamerican.com ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Culture/Society; Government; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: deindustrialization; globalwarming; hoax; socialism
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To: Oldeconomybuyer

When are the states that committed to the Paris accords going to sent that $150B check to the UN to fulfill 0bama’s obligations to the treaty?


21 posted on 04/18/2018 8:29:01 AM PDT by HenpeckedCon (Covfefe Trump!)
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To: ScottinVA

That exact traffic situation — the 405 in LA — is one of the big reasons we left that hellhole called California.

After we finished our house-hunting trip provided by my husband’s new company in TN, we returned to LAX and wondered if we had made the right decision to relocate. We got on the freeway and headed north toward home and there we were on the 405. Our decision to move was confirmed.


22 posted on 04/18/2018 8:30:58 AM PDT by MayflowerMadam (Have an A-1 day.)
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To: robroys woman
... large cities were really, REALLY concerned about what to do with all the horse droppings...

LOL. Sounds like you've read Michael Crichton's speech: Aliens Cause Global Warming.

23 posted on 04/18/2018 8:37:41 AM PDT by ken in texas
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To: MayflowerMadam
That exact traffic situation — the 405 in LA — is one of the big reasons we left that hellhole called California.

The underlying reason for such roads, the landing of aircraft, would have an issue these days.

24 posted on 04/18/2018 8:38:50 AM PDT by C210N (Republicans sign check fronts; 'Rats sign check backs.)
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To: Maceman

I vaguely remember that.
But nowadays it is just so obvious. The cycle is the same:
Government creates a crisis (real or otherwise).
“More Government” is the solution.
The ‘Solution’ creates more crises.
Lather, rinse, repeat.


25 posted on 04/18/2018 8:41:57 AM PDT by Little Ray (Freedom Before Security!)
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To: Opinionated Blowhard
**and the public transportation wasn’t overcrowded.**

Forget overcrowded, safe would be a huge step in the right direction.

The only places public transportation ever remotely worked would be Europe (before the invasion from Islam and Africa) and Asian countries. Hmm, I wonder what the common denominator is....

In most places in the US, it's a gamble. And I certainly wouldn't take it at night, anywhere. Not to mention highly inefficient, as expensive as driving and typically a huge inconvenience and that's before you factor in the crazies and criminals.

26 posted on 04/18/2018 8:47:46 AM PDT by riri
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To: ScottinVA

Phoenix freeways looking pretty close to that these days.


27 posted on 04/18/2018 8:48:23 AM PDT by riri
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To: C210N

Oh, my! I guess Granny never did “get it”, did she?

I’ve heard that long, straight stretches of the Interstate system were required to be constructed in case airliners, especially military, needed to use them for landings. True?


28 posted on 04/18/2018 8:49:21 AM PDT by MayflowerMadam (Have an A-1 day.)
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To: riri
"The only places public transportation ever remotely worked would be Europe"

In Europe, villages have been within an hour's walking distance, 5 miles, from each other, for 1500 years. Market towns are one ore two day's walk, 20-40 miles.

In the US, once you get away from the East Coast, towns grew up around railroad watering tanks, 20 or thirty miles apart, or intersections of rail roads and deep rivers.

Think about that, as you get farther west, and Leftist stupids tries to sell "Public Transportation" as population control.

29 posted on 04/18/2018 9:00:07 AM PDT by jonascord (First rule of the Dunning-Kruger Club is that you do not know you are in the Dunning-Kruger club.)
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To: Oldeconomybuyer

California gets most of it’s power from power plants OUT OF THE STATE. They have shut down their own plants.

These numbers are very misleading.


30 posted on 04/18/2018 9:00:15 AM PDT by ridesthemiles
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To: MayflowerMadam

I think it is, but if you look at the not-reliable snopes places, it says not so.

Interstates also would serve as military ground transport assets - perhaps that is even more so than as landing strips.

Some of the naysayers say military can land at the much more ubiquitous small airports if needed... but as a pilot, I can tell you most of the non-commercial airfield runways are too short and/or too narrow for such purposes.


31 posted on 04/18/2018 9:02:25 AM PDT by C210N (Republicans sign check fronts; 'Rats sign check backs.)
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To: Opinionated Blowhard

“Decades ago, long before “climate change” became an issue, the Left’s Utopian goal was to force everyone onto public transportation and bicycles. So not much has changed in 50 years.”

Together with forcing them back into “the cities!”


32 posted on 04/18/2018 9:09:35 AM PDT by vette6387
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To: jonascord
Well, for sure, I live in Phoenix. The only way any form of public transportation could ever work here would be if the razed the entire city and started over. Or somehow made each day about 8 hours longer because that's how long it'd take you to get anywhere via that method.

And then there's the inevitable skin cancers we'd all get spending that much time walking in the 115 degree blazing sun to get from point A to point B.

That's what a lot of people don't realize too, even the best most efficient public transportation system involves lots and lots of walking.

Not that walking is a bad thing. It's healthy and probably would improve the mental health of many Americans. However, it's hugely time consuming. Disposable time is something Euros have always had a lot of. Americans? Not so much.

33 posted on 04/18/2018 9:10:11 AM PDT by riri
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To: vette6387

“Utopian goal was to force everyone onto public transportation and bicycles.”

As a pedestrian in college, I always feared bicycles more than cars.


34 posted on 04/18/2018 9:13:55 AM PDT by alternatives? (Why have an army if there are no borders?)
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To: Oldeconomybuyer

awesome- Now we’re going after cars- forcing people to what? Ride horses to work again? Gee- what progress we’re making as a nation- Maybe we can do away with modern hospitals and medicines too- go back to leeches and witch hazel remedies-


35 posted on 04/18/2018 9:17:26 AM PDT by Bob434
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To: Oldeconomybuyer

Stop driving to Starbucks for a $6 coffee. Make it at home for 20 cents. If you plan and think before you drive, you can reduce unnecessary travel by 45%.


36 posted on 04/18/2018 9:19:31 AM PDT by blackdog
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To: alternatives?

You would certainly fear my 30MPH electric bicycle. I commute to and from work with it on nice days. 40 mile range and 5 hours to recharge. I peddal hard and get about 85 miles on a charge.


37 posted on 04/18/2018 9:23:39 AM PDT by blackdog
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To: Pining_4_TX

California should cut the availability of gasoline in half.


38 posted on 04/18/2018 9:31:30 AM PDT by ActresponsiblyinVA
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To: blackdog

It was more the operators.

As much as bicyclists complained about drivers, the bicyclists were much more distaining of pedestrians. If the drivers had treated bicyclists like bicyclists treated pedestrians it would have been war.


39 posted on 04/18/2018 9:49:33 AM PDT by alternatives? (Why have an army if there are no borders?)
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To: Maceman

Watermelons

Green only skin deep, Red to the core.


40 posted on 04/18/2018 9:57:10 AM PDT by Rurudyne (Standup Philosopher)
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