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climate

Home Tag climate
three former u.s. secretaries of transportation make their case for high-speed rail in u.s.

three former u.s. secretaries of transportation make their case for high-speed rail in u.s.

Aug 23, 2021

above > china’s high-speed trains at a maintenance area in wuhan in 2012.

three former u.s. secretaries of transportation, are pitching a very bright future and a systemic solution to the u.s. climate, pollution, and congestion woes. they make a great case too.

they mention china, france, germany, italy, and japan as pioneers along with 27 other nations operating high-speed operations. but, sometimes a great verbal argument is not enough. they might enhance their pitch with a vision of what might be, i.e., proposing with examples of possible u.s. routes to override doubts that the u.s. has the necessary population, business and tourist travel density. there’s also the ginormous size of the u.s. which china can only match.

for me, comparing an example of an existing iconic route with a possible american route would help me better visualize a solution. for example, an orient express model has allure: london, paris, venice, budapest, prague, istanbul and berlin. that’s seven cities. that’s more than 1,700 miles. what could a new york city to los angeles trans-continental route look like? cities could include new york city, pittsburg, chicago, kansas city, denver, las vegas, and los angeles. new york city to los angeles by plane is 2,475 miles / 5.5 hours. by car along u.s. 80 is 2,790 / 42 hours. a 186 mph train along u.s.80 would take about 17 hours. note: in 2017 china launched a 248 mph train. anyway, for me i need to see some travel routes, etc. 😉

the u.s. secretaries pitch…

across the country, overcrowded highways are bottling up our cities and choking economic life. at the same time, oil-fueled cars and planes are pumping masses of carbon and toxic pollution into the atmosphere, polluting vulnerable communities and accelerating global warming.

as three former secretaries of transportation, we believe that high-speed rail is the single most effective way to move america’s transportation system into the 21st century. a robust network of high-speed rail corridors with high-performance connections is the most powerful strategy to dramatically reduce climate pollution while reducing traffic congestion and improving intercity travel.

the interstate highway system, which began decades ago as a fast and efficient means of travel, is now fueling climate disaster and undermining our ability to compete at home and abroad. congestion cost our economy $179 billion in 2017, according to the texas a&m university transportation institute’s 2019 urban mobility report. highway congestion is expected to cost us $237 billion in 2025. americans waste 105 million weeks per year in their cars, and enough fuel to load 58 supertankers to the brim.

high-speed rail provides a systemic solution to our climate, pollution and congestion woes. powered by electricity, high-speed trains can run on renewable energy. throughout the world, bullet trains have reduced demand for polluting highways, short-haul flights and single-occupancy vehicles. they also move huge numbers of people efficiently, with a proposed single high-speed rail line in california matching the capacity of six highway lanes, 91 airport gates and two new runways.

compared with highways, high-speed rail lines are a bargain. according to a study by the washington state department of transportation, a proposed high-speed rail line between eugene, oregon, and vancouver, canada, would cost $42 billion while generating $355 billion in economic benefits — a nearly 10-to-1 return on investment. by contrast, widening the i-5 highway between the cities by one lane in each direction would cost $108 billion and do nothing to relieve congestion.

the question is: if we build it, will they come? the answer, without question, is yes.

history has shown that as soon as a country inaugurates a high-speed rail line, the public demands more. that happened after japan opened its tokyo-to-osaka line in 1964. after france opened its paris-to-lyon line in 1981, not only france but all of europe wanted one.

why? high-speed trains are convenient and comfortable. they depart and arrive in city centers instead of remote airports, and do not require tsa checkpoints. they have legroom for all and wi-fi that actually works. want to stretch your legs? you can get up and wander.

thirty-two nations currently have operating high-speed rail systems. french, german, italian and japanese travelers have enjoyed bullet trains for decades. with a fraction of america’s gross domestic product, morocco began operation on a 201-mile line between casablanca and tangier in 2018.

there’s one simple reason we have fallen so far behind the rest of the industrialized world when it comes to high-speed rail. you get what you pay for, and since world war ii, washington has prioritized funding for highways and aviation over passenger rail. since 1949, congress has invested over $2 trillion in highways and over $777 billion in aviation. meanwhile, congress has provided roughly $100 billion toward passenger rail, with just $8 billion dedicated solely to high-speed rail development, according to a report from the committee on transportation and infrastructure.

since 2008, china has invested a mind-boggling $525 billion in high-speed rail. the result? the chinese now operate about 23,500 miles of state-of-the-art high-speed rail safely carrying millions of people around their nation at rapid speeds. these farsighted investments helped pull the chinese economy out of the global financial crisis and create an entirely new domestic export industry.

to compete in the 21st century, america needs high-speed rail. the infrastructure debate in washington provides a historic opportunity for us to catch up with the rest of the industrialized world and build the transportation infrastructure of the future.

in order to spark the second great american rail revolution biden has called for, congress should provide a minimum of $20 billion in dedicated funds for high-speed rail operating at speeds above 186 mph in the budget reconciliation bill winding through the house and senate. these funds should include the robust labor standards outlined in the american high-speed rail act. congress should also establish a rail trust fund to provide a reliable, dedicated funding source for rail development and a high-speed rail development authority within the department of transportation to plan and coordinate the development of a national high-speed rail network.

to this end, we are serving as co-chairs of the u.s. high-speed rail coalition, a new alliance of business and labor leaders calling on washington to finally get serious about high-speed rail. this is our moment to make high-speed rail a reality across america. let’s not waste it.

the authors all served as u.s. secretaries of the transportation department: ray lahood and anthony foxx in the obama administration and norman mineta in the george w. bush administration.

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ge ginormous haliade-x 14mw wind turbine a great fit for world largest wind farm.

ge ginormous haliade-x 14mw wind turbine a great fit for world largest wind farm.

Jan 10, 2021

the buoyant offshore wind market wants the biggest and most powerful turbines only.

in the u.s.a., 2021 reopens the prospect of revitalizing a climate agenda which encompasses renewable energy, which, as the name suggests, is always available. global governments and companies have figured out that solar and wind are the best prospects for the future, though location and seasonal variables come into play. for example, solar and wind energy are a strong combination and wind energy is currently a better option to supplement solar energy in winter.

the buoyant offshore wind market wants the biggest and most powerful turbines only. conceived in 2008, the dogger bank wind farm, located off the north-east coast of england, is slated to be the largest in the world with offshore construction expected to begin in 2022 with contractors using specialist vessels to install the offshore infrastructure. the first phase is expected to be operational in 2023. the wind farm will be completed in three phases before reaching full commercial operations in 2026.

two weeks ago ge made an end-of-the year announcement which boasts that their ginormous ge renewable energy’s haliade-x 14 mw had just been awarded for the final phase c. in 2019 the 13 mw model had already been awarded the first two phases a&b. ge renewable energy has been working on this wind turbine concept since 2018.

[ key features ]
> designed for all wind speeds
> recommended for offshore high wind locations
> has a 220-meter rotor and a 107-meter (longer than a football field) blade
> the wind turbine offers three models: a 14 mw, 13 mw or 12 mw
> one rotation could power a household for two days
> one 13w turbine can light up a town of 12,000 homes
> sensors gather data of wind speeds, output, and component stresses
> wind farm first two phases will total of 190 haliade-x 13 mw offshore wind turbines. the final phase features the 14 mw turbine.
> upon completion the wind farm is expected to power up to 6 million homes annually in the uk, equivalent to 5% of the uk’s total electricity demand.

above > dogger bank wind farm

the battle for size continues unabated. siemens-gamesa has announced its next model, the 14mw sg 14-222 dd offshore wind turbine. the race is expected to end at about 20 mw.

note: at this writing the haliade-x is only a prototype

#climatechange #climatecontrol #windturbine

it’s about time greta thunberg for your #climatestrike.

it’s about time greta thunberg for your #climatestrike.

Dec 18, 2019

above >thunberg skipping school in august 2018, sitting in front of swedish parliament to demand climate action / michael campanella—getty images

starting in august 2018, a swedish 15-year-old greta thunberg began a global movement by skipping school. she did so by setting up shop in front of the swedish parliament holding a sign painted in black letters on a white background that read skolstrejk för klimatet: “school strike for climate.” her question for adults, for people in charge: if you don’t care about my future on earth, why should i care about my future in school?

by now you know the time magazine 2019 person of the year is greta thunberg. the runners up were: hong kong protesters (won the readers poll), nancy pelosi, donald trump, the whistleblower in trump-ukraine scandal.

winning does come with controversy. but we won’t talk about that at this time. here.

on the first day of her climate strike, thunberg sat alone. she posted about her strike on social media, and a few journalists came by to talk to her, but she spent day one alone.

on day two a stranger joined her. “that was a big step, from one to two,” she recalls. “this is not about me striking; this is now us striking from school.” within a couple of days, a handful more joined in. then they became a group – from one person pushing back became two, then 10, then 50, then hundreds. then thousands

by september, enough people had joined her climate strike in stockholm that she announced she would continue every friday until sweden aligned with the paris agreement.

the fridays for future movement was born.

at the end of 2018, tens of thousands of students across europe began skipping school on fridays to protest their own leaders’ inaction. in january, 35,000 schoolchildren protested in belgium following thunberg’s example. the movement struck a chord. when a belgian environmental minister insulted the strikers, a public outcry forced her to resign.

a year later in september 2019, the climate strikes had spread beyond northern europe. in london, 100,000 swarmed the streets near westminster abbey. in new york city, 250,000 reportedly marched in battery park and outside city hall. in germany, a total of 1.4 million people took to the streets, with thousands flooding the brandenburg gate in berlin and marching in nearly 600 other cities and towns across the country.

on 20-27 september 2019, a global climate strike brought an estimated 4 million people of all ages to protest. their signs told a story. in london: the world is hotter than young leonardo dicaprio. in turkey: every disaster movie starts with a scientist being ignored. in new york: the dinosaurs thought they had time, too. hundreds carried images of thunberg or painted her quotes onto poster boards. make the world greta again became a rallying cry. the 20 september protests were likely the largest climate strikes in world history. more than 2,000 scientists in 40 countries pledged to support the strikes.

in a little more than a year, one frightened, angry, defiant 16-year-old, became a game-changer, became an icon who brought climate to the forefront. after noticing a hundredfold increase in its usage, lexicographers at collins dictionary named thunberg’s pioneering idea, climate strike, the word of the year.

bravo greta !

greta is the z generation – ages 7 to 22. in 2050 she will be 46. in 2080 grandchildren will be 25. according to a december amnesty international survey, young people in 22 countries identified climate change as the most important issue facing the world. they know how much adults are failing them.

above> greta thunberg smiles during a press conference / lito lizana/sopa images/shutterstock

[ time person of the year ] the tradition of selecting a man of the year began in 1927, with time editors contemplating the news makers of the years. the idea was also an attempt to remedy the editorial embarrassment earlier that year of not having aviator charles lindbergh (see guinnes world records below) on its cover following his historic trans-atlantic flight. by the end of the year, it was decided that a cover story featuring lindbergh as the man of the year would serve both purposes.

in 1999, the title was changed to person of the year. since the list began, every serving president of the united states has been a man or person of the year at least once with the exceptions of calvin coolidge, herbert hoover, and gerald ford.

record-breaking american aviator charles lindbergh became the first person to be named time man of the year in 1927

[ guinness world records ] thunberg takes the crown of youngest time person of the year from us aviator charles lindbergh (1902–74). he received the accolade at the age of 25 years 332 days as of the 2 jan 1928 issue.

[ quotables ]

“we can’t just continue living as if there was no tomorrow, because there is a tomorrow, that is all we are saying.” – greta

“i want you to panic, i want you to feel the fear i feel every day. and then i want you to act.” – greta to the annual convention of ceos and world leaders at the world economic forum in davos, switzerland, in january.

“people are underestimating the force of angry kids. we are angry and frustrated, and that is because of good reason. if they want us to stop being angry then maybe they should stop making us angry.” – greta

“for sounding the alarm about humanity’s predatory relationship with the only home we have, for bringing to a fragmented world a voice that transcends backgrounds and borders, for showing us all what it might look like when a new generation leads, greta thunberg is time’s 2019 ‘person of the year.” – time’s editor-in-chief edward felsenthal penned a column explaining the choice.

brilliant decision for @time to choose @gretathunberg as its person of the year. greta embodies the moral authority of the youth activist movement demanding that we act immediately to solve the climate crisis. she is an inspiration to me and to people across the world. – @algore

“don’t let anyone dim your light, like the girls i’ve met in vietnam and all over the world, you have so much to offer us all.” – the former first lady michelle obama wrote on twitter

“so ridiculous,” “greta must work on her anger management problem, then go to a good old fashioned movie with a friend! chill greta, chill!” ~ donald j. trump

“a teenager working on her anger management problem. currently chilling and watching a good old fashioned movie with a friend.” – greta’s twitter bio in response to potus tweet

@gretathunberg @time @greenpeaceusa #climatestrike #fridaysforfuture #parentsforfuture #climate #climatechange

beijing embraces solar while u.s weighs tariff on chinese solar panels. sad.

beijing embraces solar while u.s weighs tariff on chinese solar panels. sad.

Nov 10, 2017

above> the datong panda power plant – as u.s. wavers on #climatechange the chinese invest in green energy

beijing embraces solar while u.s weighs tariff on chinese solar panels. sad. “if [trump] imposes tariffs, tens of thousands of u.s. jobs will be lost — jobs in blue-collar, middle-class america,” said abigail ross hopper, president and chief executive of the solar energy industries association, a trade group. “imposing tariffs will not create a manufacturing renaissance in the u.s. it will raise prices and kill demand.” [RK] via wapo

2000 watt living.

May 13, 2009

The “2000 Watt Living” initiative imagines attractive new ways of using one sixth of the energy used by the average American. 2000 Watt Living was exhibited at the Salone Internazionale del Mobile in Milan 2009, and will be at Making Modern at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago from June 16 to July 25.

via gfry studio and fastcompany [PR]

Green:Net 2009

Feb 12, 2009

Green:Net 2009. March 24, 2009. San Francisco, CA USA.

The First Green Conference for the Internet Technology Industry

At Green:Net, we’ll show you how the tools created in the Internet, computing and IT revolutions will be crucial for fighting climate change. Whether you’re in a corporation looking to learn about best Green IT practices or you’re an entrepreneur looking for your next venture, Green:Net in San Francisco is a must-attend event that will allow you to take away the best ideas, contacts and thinkers in this space.

The Laptop. Underground stadium.

Oct 16, 2008


We’ve seen the splendor of China’s Bird’s Nest, now check out a new contender for the prize of most unique stadium. The stadium design by MZ & Partners Architects has already earned the nickname “The Laptop.” The main stand is upright with most of its height coming from the underground field. All lights will be embedded in the surrounding architecture of the stadium. It is hoped that the underground stadium will help keep the players and spectators cooler. It is expected to be completed in 2010.


If all goes to plan, ‘The Wall’ stadium in Doha, Qatar’s capital city, will claim two firsts: The world’s first underground stadium and the world’s first open-air, air-conditioned stadium. There’s a long way to go however and the stadium is not due to be completed untl 2010 at the earliest, however if the finished product looks anything like the plans released by MZ & Partners Architects then paying spectators are in for a treat.

After looking at the stadium from above you can immediately see why The Wall has already gained the nickname ‘The Laptop’. The stadium’s main stand sits upright, the majority of its height emerging from the underground pitch as if having been lifted opened by an enormous referee. There will be no traditional floodlights, a feature the architects seem to be quite proud of, as all lights will be embedded within the surrounding architecture, adding to the stadium’s mystical feel.

So why underground? Obviously it’s a great coup to have the world’s first underground stadium but there’s one invaluable benefit, especially in a climate such as Qatar’s: temperature control. A subterranean stadium should ensure that the pitch and its spectators retain a cool, bearable atmosphere naturally without the need to spend millions of pounds on air-conditioning.

The stadium is apparently part of Doha’s forthcoming bid to host the 2018 World Cup and if the location was decided purely down to stadium architecture, they may have a chance. The one concern? The Wall will only be able to seat 11′000 people.

Designer: MZ & Partners Architects

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