| | | Dear ,
I like to think of myself as environmentally conscious. I live in a small apartment. I use energy efficient lighting. I take public transit most places. Yet almost everything I buy, eat, or wear relies on trucks to get to me or to the store where I buy it—so everything I buy comes with a side of oil. Major companies like UPS and Walmart use hundreds of millions of gallons of oil to ship the goods we all use—from cellphones to sneakers to cereal. We rely on trucks to carry almost everything, but the good news is we can get the job done using less oil. Fuel economy standards for trucks—still around 6 miles per gallon—have barely budged since the 1970s even as technology has improved. Strong new standards can save money and cut global warming emissions—it’s a win-win.—Katy |  |
| Ask a Scientist | | 
Don Anair
Research and Deputy Director of the UCS Clean Vehicles Program
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Don's blog >> | This month, Don Anair, deputy director of our Clean Vehicles Program, sits down with Elliott Negin, director of news and commentary, to answer questions about the benefits of new fuel economy standards for heavy duty vehicles. Trucks and buses make up a pretty small percentage of vehicles on American roads—only 7 percent—but they’re responsible for more than a quarter of the fuel vehicles consume every year, so whatever we can do to improve their fuel economy will go a long way. Moving forward with another round of strong standards for medium- and heavy-duty trucks could cut the average fuel consumption of new trucks by 40 percent in 2025 compared to 2010 models. There are a number of technologies that will get us there. Many of them are already available, but some are still being developed. READ MORE Share:    Do you have a question for UCS scientists? Submit your question today. | |
| This Just In |  | Tallahassee, We Have a Problem!
In Florida, more than a million people live within roughly three feet of elevation from the high tide mark. With the effects of global warming, sea level is expected to easily rise that much along Florida’s shores later this century. Thousands of homes and businesses are in the path of that rising sea, and millions of lives would be impacted. State leaders entrusted with Florida’s welfare would treat this problem like the unfolding crisis it is, right? Instead, an investigation found state officials have prohibited the use of “global warming,” “climate change,” and “sea-level rise” in state documents. READ MORE Share: | | |  |
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Keep a civil tongue.