American roads are not ready for massive electric vehicles

Electric vehicles are slowly gaining popularity, and many see them as the key to drastically cutting transportation emissions. Yet the growing weight and size of vehicles are presenting new challenges and serious safety concerns. One major issue is the enormous weight of popular EVs and the impact that these increasingly large vehicles will have on the country’s roads, bridges, and—as one new study points out—its guardrails.  

Surging demand for goods increases pollution risks to vulnerable communities

Low-income neighborhoods and communities of color are burdened disproportionately with pollution from the transportation sector, say researchers and journalists. Often these neighborhoods, sometimes clustered in proximity to high traffic or industrial areas, show elevated disease levels when compared to majority white communities located in areas of lower emissions.

Ecommerce fulfillment centers increasing freight pollution, congestion in rural towns

In order to keep up with ever-increasing ecommerce demand, companies such as Amazon are building sprawling new fulfillment centers on the outer edges of major U.S. metro areas to aid in their logistical operations. While these warehouses can provide a windfall in economic development for the rural towns where they are being constructed, a recent article found that, increasingly, communities are finding these facilities are more trouble than they’re worth. Specifically, the jobs and tax revenue being generated don’t outweigh negative impacts caused by freight pollution and traffic congestion.

Will advances in autonomous technology degrade job quality in the trucking industry?

While advances in autonomous technology may net additional jobs in the trucking sector, without thoughtful public policy and a commitment to equitable private practices, they may end up being some of the worst the industry has to offer, and come at the expense of jobs at the higher-end of the pay spectrum, so says a new report by University of Pennsylvania researcher Steve Viscelli.

Many variables in play as deadline for maritime fuel sulfur reduction approaches

Maritime shipping remains the most efficient way to transport goods, considering its weight to fuel-economy ratio. Still, an average container ship running on typical high-sulfur fuel emits nearly the same amount of sulfur oxides (SOx) as 10 million diesel passenger cars. By some counts shipping contributes over 5 percent of global sulfur emissions. Beginning in January 2020, the United Nations International Maritime Organization (IMO) is requiring the maritime industry to reduce the sulfur content of its fuels from 3.5 percent to 0.5 percent, in an effort to reduce SOx, particulates, and other pollution.

Many variables in play as deadline for maritime fuel sulfur reduction approaches

Maritime shipping remains the most efficient way to transport goods, considering its weight to fuel-economy ratio. Still, an average container ship running on typical high-sulfur fuel emits nearly the same amount of sulfur oxides (SOx) as 10 million diesel passenger cars. By some counts shipping contributes over 5 percent of global sulfur emissions. Beginning in January 2020, the United Nations International Maritime Organization (IMO) is requiring the maritime industry to reduce the sulfur content of its fuels from 3.5 percent to 0.5 percent, in an effort to reduce SOx, particulates, and other pollution.