Climate & Resilience: Page 3

  • A Rivian R1T nears undergoes final assembly at the automaker's plant in Normal, Illinois.
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    Courtesy of Rivian Automotive
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    EV startup Rivian to lay off 10% of salaried workforce

    Founder and CEO RJ Scaringe said that Rivian still firmly believes in the full electrification of the automotive industry.

    By Michael Brady • Feb. 23, 2024
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    Win McNamee via Getty Images
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    DC updates strategy to reach ‘zero waste’ by 2040, including many policy proposals

    The plan calls for actions such as implementing commercial waste zones and banning certain items from disposal.

    By Megan Quinn • Feb. 23, 2024
  • smart city, smart cities Explore the Trendline➔
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    jamesteohart via Getty Images
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    Trendline

    Top 5 stories from Smart Cities Dive

    From worsening climate change to a shifting transportation landscape and the housing affordability crisis, cities have their work cut out for them in 2024.

    By Smart Cities Dive staff
  • Hazy orange sky over cityscape
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    MattGush via Getty Images
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    EPA rolls out $83M for air quality monitoring after tightening soot standard

    The Biden administration is hoping to clean up the nation’s air, but about two-thirds of U.S. counties lack air monitors, according to Earthjustice.

    By • Feb. 22, 2024
  • A structure is set on Xcel Energy's Rush Creek transmission project in Colorado.
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    Courtesy of Xcel Energy
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    Why Colorado cities don’t want to pay for any of a $2B electric transmission project

    The Municipal Energy Agency of Nebraska and three of its municipal utility members in Colorado contend they won't benefit from the project, which Xcel Energy’s Public Service Co. of Colorado is building.

    By Ethan Howland • Feb. 22, 2024
  • A facade of a sustainable glass office building with a tree for reducing carbon dioxide.
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    Fahroni via Getty Images
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    Building decarbonization guide to be developed by ASHRAE, Noresco

    The guide will provide case studies, guidance and key takeaways to help building owners and operators establish robust plans and feel confident in their decarbonization endeavors, says the chair of the guide’s working group. 

    By Nish Amarnath • Feb. 21, 2024
  • A sign with a design and the letters "bp" against a blue sky
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    Tim Boyle/Getty Images via Getty Images
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    Chicago sues oil, gas companies to make them pay for ‘climate deception’

    The nation's third-largest city joins dozens of other municipalities and states that have filed similar lawsuits.

    By • Feb. 21, 2024
  • Construction workers build the “Signature Bridge,” replacing and improving a busy highway intersection at I-95 and I-395 on March 17, 2021 in Miami, Florida.
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    Joe Raedle via Getty Images
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    Infrastructure law may increase transportation’s GHG emissions as states spend more on highways

    The White House is also expected to delay the transition to electric vehicles in a revision to the Environmental Protection Agency's proposed emissions regulation.

    By • Feb. 20, 2024
  • Gondolas on cables over a city street with car and pedestrian traffic
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    Permission granted by Swyft Cities
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    For US aerial trams, the sky’s the limit

    Aerial cable cars remain rare for U.S. urban transportation, but cities and private groups see them as a novel solution to traffic woes.

    By Adina Solomon • Feb. 9, 2024
  • A person speaking into a microphone in front of a brick wall
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    Retrieved from Screenshot: Boston City TV/YouTube on February 09, 2024
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    Boston’s first networked geothermal project will electrify 7 public housing buildings

    Geothermal systems are a promising approach to transitioning communities off fossil fuels for heating and cooling, experts say.

    By • Feb. 9, 2024
  • A blue electric New York City transit bus at an overhead charging station.
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    Courtesy of Marc A. Hermann / MTA
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    FTA to help electric transit bus buyers amid tough times for manufacturers

    The White House convened a roundtable Wednesday on clean bus manufacturing as transit agencies working to green their fleets struggle with price increases and long delivery times.

    By • Feb. 8, 2024
  • An HVAC worker is seen to perform heat pump maintenance
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    welcomia via Getty Images
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    9 states pledge to accelerate zero-emission heat pump sales

    The pledge sends a clear market signal, said the senior policy advisor for an association of Northeastern state air quality agencies.

    By • Feb. 7, 2024
  • Aerial shot of city buildings on a sunny day
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    adamkaz via Getty Images
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    Neighborhood-scale building decarbonization: 2 approaches

    Relying on the replacement of one appliance at a time isn’t enough to meet federal and state climate goals, said the Building Decarbonization Coalition’s executive director. 

    By • Feb. 6, 2024
  • An industrial chimney releasing fumes, steam and polluting gases.
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    Jose Gulias Trigas via Getty Images
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    ASHRAE, ICC unveil draft standard for GHG emission assessment in buildings

    The proposed Standard 240P intends to provide a common platform to measure and report greenhouse gas emissions of buildings, the organizations say. 

    By Nish Amarnath • Feb. 5, 2024
  • An aerial view of a hillside landslide brought on by heavy rains, which caused four ocean view apartment buildings to be evacuated and shuttered due to unstable conditions, on March 16, 2023 in San C
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    Mario Tama via Getty Images
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    California storms sever Amtrak, commuter rail line once again

    Coastal erosion continues to threaten the Los Angeles-San Diego route. Authorities can’t say when it will reopen for passenger service.

    By • Feb. 5, 2024
  • People in a park on a sunny day. Cyclists and pedestrians walk on a path next to a grassy area.
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    Justin Heiman/Getty Images via Getty Images
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    Q&A

    Parks need money. These researchers have some ideas about where to get it.

    Selling fallen trees, turning pool houses into year-round spas, and asking hotel guests to donate are among the ideas outlined in a new report by the Center for an Urban Future. 

    By • Feb. 2, 2024
  • As part of a maintenance check, a service engineer inspects the solar cell on a building roof for a damaged part.
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    NewSaetiew via Getty Images
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    FEMA to help communities pay for net-zero energy projects post-disaster

    Communities can now leverage the agency’s grant programs to install solar microgrids, heat pumps and passive cooling when rebuilding schools, hospitals, fire stations and other infrastructure in disaster’s wake.

    By • Feb. 1, 2024
  • Aerial shot of city streets and tall buildings
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    RoschetzkyIstockPhoto via Getty Images
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    US cities’ outlook for 2024

    Cities are pushing ahead on innovative bids to build more sustainable, safe and equitable communities, but many of the roadblocks they face likely aren't going anywhere.

    By Smart Cities Dive staff • Jan. 31, 2024
  • The backs of three people sitting at an overlook over a city and mountains at sunset
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    Mario Tama/Getty Images via Getty Images
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    Extreme heat watch: Will cities be ready for summer 2024?

    This year could be even hotter than last year’s record-breaker, some scientists say. Cities are using the winter to prepare.

    By • Jan. 31, 2024
  • The Department of Agriculture (USDA) building in Washington DC.
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    Art Wager via Getty Images
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    Where composting and food waste projects got $11.5M from USDA

    The grants will enhance access to organics drop-off sites in several areas and build on existing capacity in dozens of localities nationwide.

    By Jacob Wallace • Jan. 31, 2024
  • Aerial view shows a road stretching through water with heavy damage in the middle.
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    Joe Raedle via Getty Images
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    FHWA offers $729M for storm-damaged infrastructure

    The funds will help states rebuild roads and bridges following natural disasters and extreme weather.

    By Julie Strupp • Jan. 30, 2024
  • The flag of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency hangs outside the agency building in Washington, D.C.
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    Justin Sullivan via Getty Images
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    Zero-waste advocates see opportunity in EPA’s $4.6B GHG reduction grants

    The U.S. EPA is offering funding for states, municipalities and tribes to implement major climate projects, with local plans due by March 1.

    By Megan Quinn • Jan. 26, 2024
  • Two colorful maps side by side, with the left map in clearer resolution and the right map more pixelated
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    (2024). [Map]. Retrieved from NOAA Office for Coastal Management.
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    NOAA releases high-resolution land cover data to boost coastal climate resilience efforts

    The new data is 900 times more detailed than what the agency previously provided. Local leaders have asked for such data for years, but it is often prohibitively expensive, NOAA Administrator Rick Spinrad said.

    By • Jan. 26, 2024
  • View from below of a twin silver bridges stretching across water.
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    The image by Pi.1415926535 is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0
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    Connecticut beefs up energy storage incentives to meet 1 GW goal by 2030

    Residential customers can get as much as $16,000 in upfront incentives — up from the previous maximum of $7,500.

    By Kavya Balaraman • Jan. 25, 2024
  • A boat is seen in drought-stricken area in Nevada.
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    Ethan Miller via Getty Images
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    Public pensions in liberal-leaning states falling short on addressing climate risk: report

    Failing to curb climate-related financial risk “puts the hard-earned savings of millions of Americans at risk,” the Sierra Club said of its report findings.

    By Zoya Mirza • Jan. 25, 2024
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    Jim Vondruska/Getty Images via Getty Images
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    Chicago mayor proposes natural gas ban in new buildings

    This marks the first time the city has introduced a building decarbonization ordinance, a city employee said. The proposal drew swift backlash from the local gas industry.

    By • Jan. 25, 2024