(Source: NY Times)

U.S. Doctors Say Biofuels Could Kill Over 192,000 Per Year in Developing Countries

Image courtesy: via NYTimes.com

The food vs. fuel debate has intensified a little more with the ever growing demand for bio-fuels.  Many of the world’s hungriest people are going to bed without a morsel to eat, as more of the conventional food crops such as corn are diverted towards making biofuels that power the vehicle fleets. This above graphic from the NY Times article shows an alarming increase in the way we have change the consumption from food to fuel starting at the dawn of this 21st century.

Each year, an ever larger portion of the world’s crops — cassava and corn, sugar and palm oil — is being diverted for biofuels as developed countries pass laws mandating greater use of nonfossil fuels and as emerging powerhouses like China seek new sources of energy to keep their cars and industries running. Cassava is a relatively new entrant in the biofuel stream.

But with food prices rising sharply in recent months, many experts are calling on countries to scale back their headlong rush into green fuel development, arguing that the combination of ambitious biofuel targets and mediocre harvests of some crucial crops is contributing to high prices, hunger and political instability.

This year, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization reported that its index of food prices was the highest in its more than 20 years of existence. Prices rose 15 percent from October to January alone, potentially “throwing an additional 44 million people in low- and middle-income countries into poverty,” the World Bank said.

On a related note, the following was published on TreeHugger.com:

The Association of American Physicians and Surgeons (AAPS) has released a warning that U.S. and European policy to increase the production of biofuels could lead to almost 200,000 deaths in poorer countries. How? Mostly through higher food prices. Most biofuels are made using food crops like corn at this time, and diverting corn to ethanol refineries not only increases the price of corn, but it also encourage farmers to plant more of it, leaving less space for other types of crops, driving up their price too. This is a big deal if you live on $1-2 a day…

Click here to read the entire article.

(Source: Marlerhaley via  Killer Infographics & Autoblog Green)

Image Courtesy: Marler Haley, UK

On a related note, it might be worth noting that there is a already a lot of controversy surrounding the official numbers posted by the automakers versus the results from real life driving conditions in Europe.  Here is a peek at the ongoing debate:

Jos Dings, director of Brussels-based Transport & Environment, told Automotive News (sub. req.) that official CO2 emissions results posted by automakers are “less and less a reflection of what we are seeing on the road.” Dings says that the amount of CO2 emitted under controlled test conditions can be up to 50 percent lower than in real-world driving, telling AN that, “We don’t want cuts on paper. We want them in reality.”

Image Courtesy: via Autoblog — CO2 emissions chart

Click here to read more about this ongoing issue.

ICLEI is a worldwide association of more than 1200  metropolitan regions, cities, towns, counties and municipal associations in 70 countries that are dedicated to implementing sustainable development.  We work in a highly multicultural environment and in a truly global fashion with partners around the globe. We are offering a post-graduate internship in the field of EcoMobility. The intern will be part of ICLEI World Secretariat in Bonn, Germany. The World Secretariat also serves as the Secretariat for the Global Alliance for EcoMobility. For more information, visit http://www.ecomobility.org.

When: February 9, 2011  @ 1:00–2:30 P.M. Eastern Time

Register for the Webinar

Description

This webinar will summarize findings from two state of the practice assessments conducted for the USDOT‘s AERIS program. The first assessment identified applications that have demonstrated environmental benefits through use of Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) technologies. The second assessment focused on techniques that could be used to evaluate the environmental impacts of ITS deployments. The webinar will address the following topics:

• AERIS State of the Practice Assessments: Chris Pangilinan of USDOT will lead the webinar with an overview of AERIS state-of-the-practice assessments.
• Findings from the AERIS Applications State-of-the-Practice Assessment: Katie Miller of Noblis will discuss demand and access management applications, eco-driving applications, logistics and fleet management applications, traffic management applications, as well as freight and transit applications. She will also discuss how ITS can potentially support use of alternative fuel vehicles.
• State of the Practice of Techniques for Evaluating the Environmental Impacts of ITS Deployment: Richard Glassco of Noblis will discuss evaluation techniques in three categories including direct measurements of vehicle emissions and fuel use, infrastructure-based air quality measurements, and modeling.

Background

The transport sector accounts for approximately 28 percent of greenhouse gas in the U.S. Vehicles represent almost 80 percent of transport sector greenhouse gas. ITS can play a vital role in reducing vehicle miles traveled, improving vehicle efficiency, and reducing petroleum consumption—all of which can reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

The AERIS program was launched in 2010 and is currently sponsoring research and working with stakeholders to assess the ways in which real-time transportation system data could improve the operation of the surface transportation network. The AERIS program vision is to generate, capture, and analyze vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-infrastructure data to create actionable information that allows surface transportation system users and operators to make “green” transportation choices. The program aims to leverage existing and future research, data sets, and technologies to develop, enhance, and model ITS applications that are proven to reduce the negative impacts of transportation on the environment. Another program goal is to explore how AERIS data sets may improve or validate assumptions of environmental and other models.

Learning Objectives

• Understand AERIS program foundational research activities.
• Learn more and stimulate creative thinking about potential applications of real-time data to reduce vehicle emissions.
• Learn about methods to evaluate the environmental benefits of ITS deployment.

Intended Audience:

State and local DOT staff, policy researchers, ITS software and system developers, environmental advocates, consultants, academics, and others with an interest in the potential to use real-time transportation system data to reduce environmental impacts.

Host:

Chris Pangilinan, Special Assistant to the Deputy Administrator, USDOT Research and Innovative Technology Administration
Chris Pangilinan is the Special Assistant to the Deputy Administrator of the Research and Innovative Technology Administration (RITA) at USDOT. Prior to joining the USDOT, Chris was a transportation engineer and planner at the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA), the city’s DOT and transit agency. Chris’s work in transit operations and planning while at the SFMTA provides the transit experience that he is able to bring to the AERIS team. He earned his undergraduate degree in Civil Engineering at Portland State University and his Master’s degree in Transportation at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Chris is a registered Civil Engineer in the State of California.

Presenters:

Katie Miller, Lead Sustainability Analyst, Noblis Center for Sustainability
Katie is a Lead Sustainability Analyst within the Noblis Center for Sustainability where she manages projects relating to greenhouse gas emissions issues. Prior to joining Noblis, Katie was a Program Manager for the US General Services Administration (GSA). She led sustainable supply chain initiatives for the agency and served as the lead author for the Executive Order 13514 Section 13 Recommendations for Vendor and Contractor Emissions, including designing an interagency implementation strategy for the recommendations. Her prior experience includes serving as a Senior Program Manager at the White House Council on Environmental Quality’s Office of the Federal Environmental Executive and managing the GSA Fleet National Alternative Fuel Vehicle Program. Katie holds a Master of Arts in Environmental and Natural Resource Policy from George Washington University and a Bachelor of Arts in Geography from Millersville University.

Richard Glassco, Principal Systems Modeler, Noblis Transportation Systems Division
Richard Glassco is a Principal Systems Modeler at Noblis, Inc. He has 30 years experience in simulation, modeling, and data analysis, including 17 years in the field of Intelligent Transportation Systems. His other specialties are ITS standards, road weather management, and evaluation of safety systems. Before joining Noblis he consulted with the Federal Systems Integration and Management Center. He has a B.A. in Mathematics from Cornell University and an M.S. in Operations Research from George Washington University.

This webinar is brought to you by the U.S. Department of Transportation’s (USDOT) ITS Joint Program Office, Research and Innovative Technology Administration (RITA). Reference in this webinar to any specific commercial products, processes, or services, or the use of any trade, firm or corporation name is for the information and convenience of the public, and does not constitute endorsement, recommendation, or favoring by U.S. Department of Transportation.

Register for the Webinar

Recent Events

FHWA Selects Vulnerability and Risk Assessment Pilot Locations. FHWA has selected five applicants to pilot a draft conceptual model for conducting climate change vulnerability and risk assessment of transportation infrastructure. The Metropolitan Transportation Commission (San Francisco Bay), New Jersey DOT/North Jersey Transportation Planning Authority (Coastal and Central New Jersey), Virginia DOT (Hampton Roads), Washington State DOT (State of Washington), and Oahu Metropolitan Planning Organization (Island of Oahu) were selected to conduct the pilots over the next year. Based on the feedback received through the pilots, FHWA will revise and finalize the model for national application.

FHWA Launches Beta Version of Sustainability Tool. The Sustainable Highways Self-Evaluation Tool can help transportation agencies make highway projects and programs more sustainable. The tool is modeled after similar evaluation systems, such as GreenRoads, GreenLites, and I-Last for roads, and LEEDs for buildings. It provides a practical tool for integrating sustainability best practices into transportation projects and programs. Climate change considerations (GHG emissions and climate effects) are incorporated as elements of the tool. This is a beta version of the tool, and the site is still under development, so it will evolve as additional components are added or updated. We encourage you to try out the website, and we welcome any feedback.

FHWA Summary of Climate Language in Transportation Plans posted. Climate Change – Model Language in Transportation Plans provides excerpts from various MPO and DOT transportation plans that illustrate how climate change considerations have been integrated into the documents. Agencies that are looking for ideas about how to incorporate climate change into their transportation plans could find the model language very useful.

Report Provides Estimates of GHG Emissions in Transportation Construction, Maintenance, and Operations Activities. This NCHRP 25-25 Task 58 “Quick-Turnaround” research includes a spreadsheet tool to provide estimates of GHG emissions from transportation agencies’ construction, maintenance, and operations activities. The research also includes a synthesis of current research on the topic and identifies research gaps. A TRB webinar presentation with the principal investigator of the project is scheduled for November 10 (see below).

DOT and EPA Propose GHG Standards for Truck and Buses. On October 25, NHTSA and EPA proposed the first-ever fuel economy and GHG emissions standards for medium- and heavy-duty trucks and buses. The new heavy-duty national program (or HD National Program) for model years 2014-2018 would potentially reduce GHG emissions by nearly 250 million metric tons over the life of the vehicles. The HD National Program was developed in response to President Obama’s memo to agency heads at DOT, DOE, EPA, and NHTSA on improving energy security issued in May. Much information on the proposal, including the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, a fact sheet, a draft EIS, a draft regulatory impact analysis and more is available on the NHTSA’s Fuel Economy Website.

DOT and EPA Publish NOI on 2017-2025 CAFE and GHG Emissions Standards. In an October 13 Federal Register Notice, NHTSA and EPA published a joint Notice of Intent and to develop fuel economy standards for 2017-2025 model year vehicles and an accompanying technical assessment report. The NOI does not propose specific standards but is the first step in the longer rulemaking process and discusses key elements of the program. A final rule is expected by July 31, 2012. As with the rulemaking for model years 2010-2016, EPA and NHTSA have committed to work closely with the California Air Resources Board to coordinate requirements and allow for a single, nationwide fleet. The accompanying technical report includes an initial assessment of the expected technology costs, effectiveness, and lead time to implementation. It also includes assessments on electric vehicle and hydrogen infrastructure and impacts on the economy and auto manufacturing jobs. For more information, see NHTSA’s Fuel Economy Website.

USDOT Releases Sustainability Plan and Progress Report.USDOT has released its Strategic Sustainability Performance Plan, a required report on the agency’s progress implementing E.O. 13514. The plan establishes a goal of 12.3 percent reduction in GHG emissions by 2020. DOT identified three program areas to achieve sustainability goals listed in the plan: sustainable facilities and fleet, sustainable acquisition, and sustainable technology. Sustainability performance plans from other agencies are also available on the CEQ website.

Columbia Law School Creates Databases of Climate Change in EISs. Columbia Law School has compiled and posted two databases of recent environmental studies that include consideration of climate change impacts. The first includes EISs submitted under NEPA. The second includes EISs submitted under CEQA, California’s environmental act. The databases are searchable by project type, lead agency, and State.

EPA, DOT, and HUD Release Partnership Progress Report. This document reports on the first year of the HUD/DOT/EPA Interagency Partnership for Sustainable Communities. The agencies are coordinating investments and aligning policies with the goal to help create more livable communities. For example, DOT used EPA and HUD’s expertise in the review of applications for Recovery Act TIGER grants. Twenty-two of the projects were selected because they would increase transportation choice, promoting livability principles. DOT and HUD also teamed up for a joint TIGER II-Community Challenge Grant Program that will award up to $75 million to support local planning activities that integrate transportation, housing, and economic development. And FTA and HUD developed a Mixed-Income Transit Oriented Development Action Guide to assist local governments foster diverse housing choices near transit stations available to a mix of incomes. These efforts and more are detailed in the report.

Federal Climate Change Adaptation Task Force Releases Progress Report. On October 5, CEQ released the report: Progress Report of the Interagency Climate Change Adaptation Task Force: Recommended Actions in Support of a National Adaptation Strategy. The report discusses the role of the federal government in adapting to climate change, federal policy goals, and next steps. To implement a goal to encourage and mainstream adaptation planning across the federal government, the Task Force recommends federal agencies employ a flexible framework for agency adaptation planning:

• Set a mandate with clear objectives and metrics;
• Understand how climate is changing;
• Apply to mission and operations;
• Develop, prioritize, and implement actions;
• Evaluate and learn; and
• Build awareness and skills.

USDOT and FHWA are active in the Task Force. While FHWA has incorporated many elements of the flexible framework to its own activities, the Vulnerability and Risk Assessment Pilots discussed at the top of this newsletter are serving as FHWA’s pilot of the flexible framework. Read about all of the Task Force’s policy goals and recommended implementation strategies in the report.

State News

CAPCOA Releases Resource on Quantifying Greenhouse Gas Mitigation Measures. The California Air Pollution Control Officers Association released this Resource for Local Government to Assess Emissions Reductions from Greenhouse Gas Mitigation Measures. It includes calculation methodologies for 50 transportation measures. Information includes a range of effectiveness, detailed description, applicability (urban, suburban, rural), calculation method, inputs, assumptions, examples, and literature references for the measures.

Announcements

Seeking Pilot Projects for Sustainable Transportation Design Tool. The Sustainable Transportation Access Rating System (STARS) is a life-cycle, performance-based design and rating system helping transportation projects to improve access, reduce energy use and greenhouse gas emissions and improve cost-effectiveness. STARS is seeking pilot projects to testVersion 1.0.STARS was developed by a partnership between the North American Sustainable Transportation Council, Portland (OR) Bureau of Transportation and the Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission. For more information on STARS please contact Peter Hurley, Portland Bureau of Transportation Project Manager, at 503.823.5007 or peter.t.hurley@portlandoregon.gov.

AASHTO/FHWA Webinar: “How can state DOTs communicate climate change and energy challenges to the public?” Thursday, December 2 at 2:00-3:30 p.m. ET. Edward Maibach of the Center for Climate Change Communication at George Mason University will give a presentation on “Global Warming’s Six Americas,” a market segmentation analysis of different groups of Americans and their views on climate change: Alarmed; Concerned; Cautious; Disengaged: Doubtful; and Dismissive. Based on an awareness of different views about climate change, the webinar will focus on ways that state DOTs and other transportation organizations can communicate with the public about climate change and energy issues. The webinar will also include discussion of the state DOT role in communicating about climate change with other state and Federal agencies. Registration is free and open to all.

If you have any suggestions for inclusion in future issues of Transportation and Climate Change News, or if someone forwarded this newsletter to you and you’d like to receive it directly in the future, please send your suggestions or request to Becky Lupes at Rebecca.Lupes@dot.gov

(Source: AFP via Yahoo)

Copenhagen, one of the world’s most bicycle-friendly cities, has begun turning its extensive network of cycle paths into bike highways in an effort to push more commuters to leave their cars at home.

Considered one of Europe’s two “bicycle capitals” along with Amsterdam, Copenhagen counts more bicycles than people and cycling is so popular that its numerous bike paths can become congested.

Two-wheeler traffic jams are especially regular on the main Noerrebrogade thoroughfare used by around 36,000 cyclists a day.

• The currently jammed bike paths will be widened up to four metres (yards) on either side of the road, which will itself will be reserved for buses only.
• The goal is to hike the percentage of suburban commuters cycling to and from the city from the 37 percent it is today to over 50 percent by 2015.
• Within the city, 55 percent of all commuters already travel by bike, according to the municipality.
• Already Copenhagen stands out among other European capitals for its cycling infrastructure, counting more than 390 kilometres (242 miles) of bike paths.
• Between 2006 and 2010, it spent 250 million kroner (33.6 million euros) in bike infrastructure and an extra 75 million kroner were allotted for 2011.
• The first two city-to-suburb bicycle highways are due to open at the end of 2011 and reach a distance of 15 kilometres from central Copenhagen, while a third, going as far as 20 kilometres from the capital’s centre, will be put into service in 2012.

Click here to read the entire story.

Related articles

• Copenhagen plans bike superhighways (grist.org)
• Copenhagen to build superhighway for bikes (americablog.com)
• How Portland Is Planning to Become the First World-class Bike City in America (alternet.org)
• Transition and solutions – Nov 28 (energybulletin.net)
• 10 Cool Bike Stories (planetsave.com)
• Copenhagen to Residents: “You’re Safer On a Bike Than On a Sofa” (treehugger.com)
• The Bay Area Versus Amsterdam: Which Cycling Mecca Is Tops? (treehugger.com)
• Experiencing Copenhagen and Denmark on Two Wheels (denmark-travel.suite101.com)
• The Bay Area Versus Amsterdam: Which Cycling Mecca Is Tops? (treehugger.com)
• Should Sidewalks and Bike Paths Have a Designated Slowpoke Lane? (treehugger.com)
• Blog – Cyclists Pedal Faster On Wednesdays, Reveals Smart Bike Data (technologyreview.com)

(Source: Bridging the Gap)

The latest edition of the United Nations Climate Change Conference CoP 16 opened its doors in Cancun, Mexico on November 29th  (duration – Nov 29th thru Dec 10) and our friends at Transport 2012 have created a compilation of side-events related to transportation issues at this conference.  Transportgooru is glad to share this with its readers (hoping some of you are already in Cancun, Mexico attending this event). Please check the Transport2012 website for an updated list:

“Bridging the Gap: Pathways for Transport in the Post 2012 Process‘ is an initiative of GTZ, TRL, UITP, ITDP and Veolia Transport created to tackle CO₂emissions from land transport and to integrate this major contributor to climate change into the international climate negotiation process. Click here to learn more about Bridging the Gap.

(Source: Good)

Houston, Texas, may end up being the first American city with a great electric car charging infrastructure. NRG Energy is rolling out what is supposedly the world’s first privately funded comprehensive electric vehicle ecosystem. Here are some interesting nuggets:

• The system (or “ecosystem,” in their overwrought marketing speak), called eVgo, employs a very interesting business model. Subscribers sign a three-year contract and then pay a monthly fee, ranging from $49 to $89, for both a home charger and varying levels of access to this network of public chargers.
• NRG plans to install between 50 and 150 high-speed chargers in public places— shopping centers and the like—by the end of 2011. They’ll also be installing chargers in people’s homes.
• The high-speed chargers distributed around the city can charge a car to 80 percent  within 30 minutes.

Click here to read more.

Related articles

• NRG Installs Privately-Funded Electric Car Charging Network in Oily Houston (fastcompany.com)
• NRG Launches Nation’s First Privately Funded, Comprehensive Electric Vehicle Charging Ecosystem (eon.businesswire.com)
• NRG Energy Selects AeroVironment to Build the Nation’s First Privately-Funded Electric Vehicle Charging “Ecosystem” (eon.businesswire.com)
• Walgreens and NRG Energy Work Together to Bring Nation’s First Privately Funded, Comprehensive Electric Vehicle Infrastructure to Houston (eon.businesswire.com)
• Reliant Customers Among the First with Access to eVgo Electric Vehicle Charging Network (eon.businesswire.com)
• NRG Energy Launches Network Of Electric Car Chargers, In Houston (blogs.forbes.com)
• A Private Network for Recharging Cars (green.blogs.nytimes.com)
• Why Texas May Be a Better Electric Car State Than California (nytimes.com)
• “Unlimited Juice” Electric Vehicle Charging Plans: Good Idea or Exploitation? (allcarselectric.com)
• NRG: Nation’s First Privately Financed Vehicle Charging Network (gigaom.com)
• On the GreenBeat: Trilliant Inks Deal With British Gas, NRG Energy Launches Charging Infrastructure (nytimes.com)

Washington, DC’s first public curbside 240V Level II Coulomb ChargePoint station is now located at the Franklin D. Reeves Center, 2000 14th Street, in northwest DC. There are two spaces available for charging vehicles on the west side of 14th Street adjacent to the Reeves Center. The installation of the ChargePoint station was done by PEPCO and Coulomb distributor NovaCharge, LLC.

Mayor Adrian M. Fenty today, along with the Department of Energy Undersecretary Cathy Zoi, District Department of Transportation Director Gabe Klein and other officials unveiled the first curbside electric car charging station in the District.

Image Courtesy: DDOT (via Flickr) - Click image to access more pics from the event

“This is yet another fantastic way the District is at the forefront of providing alternative and environmentally friendly transportation options for District residents and visitors,” said Mayor Fenty. “We are excited to make this technology available and easily accessible to everybody.”

Click here to read the full story.

Related articles

• First Public Curbside ChargePoint Charging Station for Electric Vehicles Unveiled in Washington D.C. (eon.businesswire.com)