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Archive for June, 2009
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The Union of Concerned Scientists Climate 2030 Blueprint for the U.S.
The Union of Concerned Scientists recently released Climate 2030 Blueprint analyzes the economic and technological feasibility of meeting stringent targets for reducing global warming emissions, with a cap set at 26% below 2005 levels by 2020, and 56% below 2005 levels by 2030
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Financing for Renewables and Energy Efficiency with AB811
AB 811, passed last summer in the California state legislature, authorizes all cities and counties in California to designate areas where property owners can obtain low-interest government loans for the installation of solar panels and energy efficiency upgrades as long as they are permanently fixed to the property.
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California’s Approach to Land Use and Climate Protection
The passing of Senate Bill 375 in California last year was a landmark occasion marking a new approach to land use and climate protection. The bill, authored by Senate President-Elect Darrell Steinberg, is the first law in the nation to tie billions of dollars in federal and state transportation funds to plans to shorten commutes, build sustainable communities and reduce global warming.
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US Cities May Have to Shrink to Survive
The U.S. government is considering replicating a pioneering de-urbanization effort in Flint, one of the poorest U.S. cities, which involves razing entire districts and returning the land to nature. Local politicians in Flint believe the city must shrink by as much as 40%, concentrating the diminishing population and local services into a more viable area.
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A Short Guide to Setting Up a City-Scale Retrofit Program
Green For All and COWS have just released A Short Guide to Setting Up a City-Scale Retrofit Program (pdf, 308 KB), a guide to designing and implementing energy efficiency retrofitting programs on a citywide scale. The organizations aim to make these retrofits available to more households and to provide good, entry-level jobs with career tracks that are accessible to low-income communities and communities of color.
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Smart Growth and Sustainable Development on new U.S. Agenda
The Environmental Protection Agency is joining forces with the Department of Transportation and Housing and Urban Development to create a strategy for sustainable, smart growth in the US. The new partnership means that there will be a new focus on environmental issues when the nation’s housing and transportation needs are being considered.
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Transportation Emissions Dropped 5.2% in 2008
The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) recently reported that CO2 emissions from U.S. transportation dropped 5.2% in 2008, the largest annual decline since 1990. EIA noted that motor gasoline accounted for 58.7% of the transportation-related CO2 emissions followed by diesel fuel, which accounted for 23.2% of transportation emissions.