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Archive for the ‘Global’ Category

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Subways and Urban Growth: Evidence from Earth

Monday, June 20th, 2016
Figure 1: Growth of Subway Systems

UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO
BROWN UNIVERSITY
We investigate the relationship between the extent of a city’s subway network and its population, transit ridership and spatial configuration. To accomplish this investigation, for the 632 largest cities in the world we construct panel data describing population, total light, measures of centralization calculated from lights at night data, and the extent of each of the 138 subway systems in these cities. For a subset of these subway cities we also assemble panel data describing bus and subway ridership.

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A National Strategy for Energy Security: The Innovation Revolution

Tuesday, May 24th, 2016
Oil Price Chart

SECURING AMERICA’S ENERGY FUTURE
ENERGY SECURITY LEADERSHIP COUNCIL
Too often, America’s exposure to the risks of oil dependence has been measured by consumers and
policymakers as a function of the price of oil at a specific point in time or our level of reliance on foreign
suppliers. The result has been long periods of inaction and inattention after each crisis, which simply
leaves the country dangerously exposed for the inevitable next crisis. The risk of such complacence
today is high. Low oil prices have reduced the sense of urgency shared throughout the country as
recently as 2014. Yet just as it has been so many times before, the oil market is in the midst of a cycle.
We must be better prepared when the tide once again turns.

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Posted in Competitiveness, Energy, Global, Infra Views, Policy, Sustainability, Technology

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The True Cost of Fossil Fuels

Monday, May 23rd, 2016
Figure 1: Global change in primary energy use with REmap Options, 2030

INTERNATIONAL RENEWABLE ENERGY AGENCY (IRENA)
The reduction of pollution and climate impact through rapidly increased use of renewable energy by 2030 could save up to USD 4.2 trillion per year worldwide, 15 times the associated costs of doubling the share of renewables. Today’s energy markets, however, do not adequately value climate impact or air pollution. Energy and environmental policies need to correct for these externalities.

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Posted in Climate Change, Energy, Global, Green, Infra Views, Policy, Pollution, Sustainability

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International Lessons for Promoting Transit Connections to High-Speed Rail Systems

Wednesday, May 11th, 2016
Figure 1. Number of Urban Bus Lines vs. Population ÷ Number of HSR Stations

MINETA TRANSPORTATION INSTITUTE
The California High-Speed Rail (HSR) project has matured to the point that initial design of segments in the Central Valley was started in 2014, beginning the long process of completing the California HSR program. One significant concern that many communities involved in, or affected by, the California HSR project have is how to connect the new HSR passenger services to local urban transport, such as bus and light rail. The route and stations for the first segment of the HSR system are well known, but many questions remain about how HSR will be integrated into the existing (and future) California transportation system.

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Grand Challenges for Engineering: Imperatives, Prospects, and Priorities

Monday, May 2nd, 2016
Wesley Harris

NATIONAL ACADEMY OF ENGINEERING
Robert Socolow observed that the 14 Grand Challenges fall into four categories. The first is sustainability—maintaining air and water quality, protecting freshwater quantity, preventing sea level rise, keeping forests and other ecosystems in good condition, and minimizing artificially triggered climate change. Next is personal and community health, because, he pointed out, “as individuals we can live fulfilling lives only if we are healthy.” But, he added, “people have a record of being dangerous to each other,” hence the third category, vulnerability and security.

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Posted in Equity, Global, Infra Views, Sustainability, Technology

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Oil Market Futures

Friday, April 22nd, 2016
Figure ES.1: Global oil demand from transport in 2015 and under two scenarios for 2050

CAMBRIDGE ECONOMETRICS
THE INTERNATIONAL COUNCIL FOR CLEAN TRANSPORTATION
Policies to tackle climate change are likely to lead to lower oil prices, according to the results of this analysis. As governments start implementing the Paris Agreement, they will increasingly need to cut carbon emissions from transport by curbing the combustion of petroleum fuels. Lower oil prices will prevail in this lower-demand scenario, compared to a business-as-usual scenario where oil demand would rise unchecked and in line with economic growth and expanding mobility trends.

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Posted in Carbon Tax, Climate Change, Environment, Global, Infra Views, Policy

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Road to Nowhere: Failing U.S. Transportation Infrastructure

Wednesday, March 16th, 2016
CFR - Infographic - Road to Nowhere

COUNCIL ON FOREIGN RELATIONS
The United States should be spending more to improve and expand its transportation infrastructure, but instead barely spends enough to maintain the existing network. According to surveys, the quality of U.S. roads and transit is mediocre compared with other peer countries in the Group of Seven (G7). Although road and bridge conditions have actually been improving over time, capacity has not expanded as fast as population growth or miles driven. Congestion is now twice as bad as it was in the early 1980s.

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Worldwide Lessons: What NYC Can Learn From 5 Peer Cities

Friday, March 11th, 2016
Fig. 1 Change in Building Emissions per Capita

URBAN GREEN COUNCIL Introduction Frankfurt and other German cities are renowned for their commitment to quality construction and engineering. London is filled with historic and diverse buildings. Singapore is famous for its direct regulation of behavior. Sydney and the rest of Australia attempted to put a price on carbon. San Francisco is a legislative testing […]

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Posted in Carbon Tax, Clean Air, Climate Change, Energy, Environment, Global, Infra Views, Policy, Urban Planning

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Advanced Energy Now 2016 Market Report

Monday, March 7th, 2016
Global Revenue by Industry, 2015

ADVANCED ENERGY ECONOMY
For 2015, the advanced energy market totaled nearly $1.4 trillion in estimated global revenue, up 8% over 2014 and 17% higher than 2011, counting only products for which we have five years of revenue data. The global market for advanced energy in 2015 was twice as big by revenue as the airline industry, bigger than the global fashion industry, and approaching worldwide spending on media and entertainment. (Figure 1.1) From 2014 to 2015, advanced energy revenue grew at more than three times the rate of the world economy overall.

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Reinventing Transportation

Friday, February 26th, 2016

Ericsson has supported Solar Team Eindhoven to win the World Solar Challenge 2015 with an in-built application based on the Ericsson Connected Traffic Cloud. The application, called Solar Navigator, brings economic driving to the next level. By collecting current weather data and traffic data, Solar Navigator gives suggestions for the optimal route, which will facilitate better decisions regarding the speed of the car during the race and the charging level of the batteries.

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Posted in Energy, Environment, Global, Show Us Your Infra, Sustainability, Technology, Urban Planning

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