Friday, June 20th, 2008
Having dissected the Prius vs. Hummer myth, we found it interesting to learn that motorcycles release more pollution into the air than even SUVs. While motorcycles are about twice as fuel-efficient as cars and emit less CO2, because they are unable to carry heavy equipment like catalytic converters, they release large amounts of nitrogen oxides, which results in the release of ten times more air pollution per mile than an average car. While two wheelers comprise only 3.6% of registered vehicles in California and only 1% of the miles driven, they account for 10% of the state’s smog emissions from vehicles. So although switching from a passenger car to a motorcycle will save you money at the gas pump, it will actually do more harm to the air than even your gas guzzling SUV.
Photo credit.
Sphere: Related Content
Posted in General, Greenhouse Gas Emissions, Los Angeles, Transportation | 2 Comments »
Friday, April 18th, 2008
A study conducted by a research team at Purdue University ranked U.S. cities based upon their aggregate carbon emissions. According to this article, the calculations were based upon CO2 outputs from the burning of fossil fuels from sources including factories, power plants, roads, etc.
An assistant professor involved with the study stated, “It’s interesting that the top county, Harris, Texas, is on the list because of industrial emissions, but the second highest CO2 emitting county, Los Angeles, California, is on the list because of automobile emissions. So it’s not just cars, and it’s not just factories, that are emitting the carbon dioxide, but a combination of different things.”
This project was funded by the federal government and involved Purdue University, Colorado State University and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.
The numbers next to the city names are for millions of tons of carbon emitted per year.
1. Harris, Texas (Houston), 18.625 million tons of carbon per year
2. Los Angeles, Calif. (Los Angeles), 18.595
3. Cook, Ill. (Chicago), 13.209
4. Cuyahoga, Ohio (Cleveland), 11.144
5. Wayne, Mich. (Detroit), 8.270
6. San Juan, N.M. (Farmington), 8.245
7. Santa Clara, Calif. (San Jose), 7.995
8. Jefferson, Ala. (Birmingham), 7.951
9. Wilcox, Ala. (Camden), 7.615
10. East Baton Rouge, La. (Baton Rouge), 7.322
11. Titus, Texas (Mt. Pleasant), 7.244
12. Carbon, Pa. (Jim Thorpe), 6.534
13. Porter, Ind. (Valparaiso), 6.331
14. Jefferson, Ohio (Steubenville), 6.278
15. Indiana, Pa. (Indiana), 6.224
16. Middlesex, Mass. (Boston metro area), 6.198
17. Bexar, Texas (San Antonio), 6.141
18. Hillsborough, Fla. (Tampa), 6.037
19. Suffolk, N.Y. (New York metro area), 6.030
20. Clark, Nev. (Las Vegas) 5.955
Photo credit.
Hat tip to MetroRiderLA.com
Sphere: Related Content
Posted in General, Greenhouse Gas Emissions, Los Angeles | No Comments »
Thursday, February 21st, 2008
This could be the future if two scientists from Los Alamos National Laboratory are correct. They have recently expanded on a previously suggested technology whereby regular air would be taken and blown across a chemical mixture of potassium carbonate which would then absorb the CO2 from the air. The harvested CO2 would then be put through a series of chemical reactions which would ultimately turn it into fuel that could then be used to power car or jet engines. This gasoline would basically be the same as that derived from drilled oil.
However, unlike the current method of drilling for oil, with this new method, all of a car’s emissions would be directly offset by the CO2 that was harvested in its creation, thereby making the fuel truly carbon neutral.
(more…)
Sphere: Related Content
Posted in Energy, General, Science and Innovation, Transportation | No Comments »
Thursday, January 31st, 2008
Zach Behrens over at laist.com is reporting that the Los Angeles MTA, in addressing the parking lot that has become that city’s westside, has issued 19 alternative public transportation solutions for the “subway to the sea”. Incredibly, one of those “solutions” does not even include a subway, but rather the addition of another express bus. For a city that is remembered for its currently unbearable traffic and smog and is forgotten for its previously illustrious public railways, one would think that building (rebuilding?) the city’s rail system would be a no-brainer. This isn’t to say that there aren’t good intentions, which there clearly are, it is just that this problem has existed for so long (and continues to get worse), that it is time for real action not just a bunch of “alternatives”.
Sphere: Related Content
Posted in Transportation | No Comments »
