transportation

Oakland School District Transitions to 100% Electric Bus Fleet

Oakland School District Transitions to 100% Electric Bus Fleet

The Oakland Unified School District (OUSD) in the Bay Area of California is set to fully transition its school bus fleet to electric buses. With this move, it is expected to become the first big school district in the U.S. to switch to 100% electric buses with vehicle-to-grid (V2G) capabilities. The school district has partnered […]

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    Bangkok City Workers Ordered to Work From Home to Avoid Toxic Smog

    Bangkok City Workers Ordered to Work From Home to Avoid Toxic Smog

    Government employees in Bangkok have been ordered to work from home for the next two days in order to avoid a thick layer of noxious smog covering the city. On Thursday, authorities warned that air pollution levels in Thailand’s capital and neighboring provinces had reached unhealthy levels, reported Reuters. Non-government employees have been urged to […]

    Mexico’s Maya Train Project Threatens Vulnerable Ecosystems, Including Ancient Caves

    Mexico’s Maya Train Project Threatens Vulnerable Ecosystems, Including Ancient Caves

    Mexico’s 966-mile Yucatán Peninsula Maya Train rail project — Tren Maya — is causing concern because of the potential for harm to environmentally sensitive areas like an ancient ecosystem of thousands of subterranean caves. In late 2023, a southeastern portion of the train service connecting Cancún opened, with the government announcing the remaining routes would […]

    How to Choose Chocolate That’s Truly Sustainable

    How to Choose Chocolate That’s Truly Sustainable

    Like with so many products, staring at the shelf of chocolate chips and baking bars can be overwhelming. What are the “right” labels to pay attention to: “Certified Compostable,” “Direct Trade” or “Fair Trade?” Does higher price mean better wages for the workers that produced it? Cacao is produced in humid regions near the equator […]

    Parisians Vote for Higher Parking Fees for SUVs

    Parisians Vote for Higher Parking Fees for SUVs

    Voters in Paris approved an increase in parking fees for SUVs In a referendum on February 4. Vehicles weighing over 1.6 metric tons will have hourly parking fees tripled as the city seeks to become a more bikeable and pedestrian-friendly. The passed proposal also comes ahead of the 2024 Olympics to be held in Paris. […]

    Drought Cuts Panama Canal Traffic by 36%

    Drought Cuts Panama Canal Traffic by 36%

    An intense drought has led to a 36% decline in traffic for the Panama Canal, one of the most important maritime trade routes in the world. Officials have denied ship crossings 36% as the canal has decreasing water levels from the drought, The Associated Press reported. According to Ricaurte Vásquez, the administrator of the Panama […]

    Hertz Begins Selling Off EVs, Plans to Buy Gas Vehicles as Replacements

    Hertz Begins Selling Off EVs, Plans to Buy Gas Vehicles as Replacements

    Rental car company Hertz is selling off 20,000 of electric vehicles in its fleet, with plans to replace these vehicles with internal combustion engine vehicles.  The company cited high repair expenses and low demand as its reasons to sell the EVs, Utility Dive reported. However, in 2021, Hertz had committed to offering one of the […]

    U.S. Air Pollution Rates Down, but Vary by Demographics

    U.S. Air Pollution Rates Down, but Vary by Demographics

    Air pollution emissions in the United States have decreased considerably since the Clean Air Act of 1970 was enacted, but the benefits have not always been equally felt. According to a new study by researchers at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, the amount of the improvements is largely dependent on demographics, with socioeconomic […]