Most popular environmental articles from 2023

• By: AWMA
• On: 01/02/2024 08:13:51
• In: A&WMA Newswire
• Comments: 0

Hidden costs: Electric vehicle tires emit 20% more pollution 
Earth.com, July 19 

In recent years, electric vehicles have been praised as a sustainable solution to the environmental issues posed by traditional gasoline-powered cars. However, new research shows that EVs may carry a hidden environmental cost: their tires. 

Coal plant pollution can be deadly — even hundreds of miles downwind 
Grist, March 1 

Over the past 15 years, coal power has been on a precipitous decline across the United States, dropping in use by over 50 percent. The rise of cheaper natural gas and renewable energy combined with environmental regulations has led to the shuttering of hundreds of plants across the country. Between 2010 and 2021, 36 percent of the country's coal plants went offline; since then another 25 percent shut down or committed to retiring by 2030. 

Study finds global greenhouse gas emissions at all-time high 
The Guardian, June 14 

Greenhouse gas emissions have reached an all-time high, threatening to push the world into "unprecedented" levels of global heating, scientists have warned. The world is rapidly running out of "carbon budget," the amount of carbon dioxide that can be poured into the atmosphere if we are to stay within the vital threshold of 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial temperatures, according to a study published in the journal Earth System Science Data.  

New EPA regulations for safe water expected to cost municipalities billions 
The Center Square, March 22

For the first time in 26 years, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has issued new guidelines for drinking water safety. Municipal utilities will be required to install expensive filtration systems to lower the amount of PFAS in water supplies. 

Electric vehicles are growing so fast that Exxon Mobil is preparing for a future when 'customers don't need that gasoline' 
Fortune, October 4

Exxon Mobil Corp., which operates one of the world's biggest oil-refining networks, is trying to be more responsive to changing consumer demands as the energy transition gathers pace. The changes it's considering include potentially replacing some gasoline production with chemicals. 

Senate votes to revoke tougher EPA emissions regulation for trucks 
CNN, May 3

The Senate voted to rescind a Biden administration emissions regulation for heavy-duty trucks that Republicans decry as too burdensome, warning it will hurt the trucking industry and have negative ripple effects through the economy. 

Do electric cars have a carbon footprint? 
Autoweek, April 5 

As electric cars become more common and less expensive, their impact on climate change is becoming clearer by the day. Greenhouse gas emissions from internal combustion engines is a known threat, but the emissions created while building an electric vehicle have caused many people to wonder how green EVs actually are.