Thursday’s Headlines Go Green, Save Green
A lack of smart planning and political willpower contributes to climate change that is costing Americans money
By
Blake Aued
12:17 AM EDT on June 18, 2026
- Climate change is fueling inflation and already costs U.S. households hundreds of dollars a year, according to a UCLA paper. And polls show that two-thirds of Americans agree that climate change is making the cost of groceries, utilities and home insurance more expensive due to war, flooding, extreme heat and wildfires. Ironically, U.S. lawmakers have been reluctant to do anything about climate change for fear of passing costs onto voters. (Grist)
- Rhode Island Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse says Democrats are making a mistake by not fighting harder against the fossil fuel industry. (WBUR)
- Making trips shorter is the best way for urban planners to get drivers out of their cars. (Anthropocene)
- New research from Northeastern University shows that vehicle miles driven is a better way to measure the environmental impact of new development than looking at congestion. (Tech Xplore)
- Lloyd Alter argues that cyclists shouldn’t have to stop at stop signs, because they’re mainly meant to control speeding, so there is no point in making cyclists expend energy stopping and then pedaling back up to speed (Carbon Upfront). On a related note, Yahoo highlighted a TikTok meltdown over cyclists riding abreast, when in most jurisdictions they’re allowed to take the lane for safety, and the road in question did not have a bike lane.
- Consumer Reports accused Uber and Lyft of using personal data to set different prices for the same ride to and from the same locations at the same time. (NBC News)
- The metro Charlotte transit system simplified its fare structure and will start charging to ride the Gold Line streetcar for the first time. (Mass Transit)
- Even assuming a transit funding referendum passes this fall, Bay Area Rapid Transit is still planning for $18 million in cuts. (Transportation Today)
- Memphis remains the most dangerous city for pedestrians in the U.S., with 369 deaths between 2020 and 2024. (Flyer)
- Street safety remains a major concern in Nashville despite the Choose How You Move initiative. (WKRN)
- Louisville’s transit agency might be staring at a fiscal spiral, with a structural deficit that service cuts and deferred maintenance can’t fully address. (WDRB)
- Seattle streetcar ridership grew by 26 percent in 2025. (KIRO)
- Almost 40 percent of downtown Asheville is devoted to parking, spurring city officials to consider lifting minimum parking requirements. (Watchdog)
- In the bike-loving Netherlands, deaths injuries are up because of fast e-bikes’ growing popularity. But cyclists are not happy that the government is testing out a 12-miles-per-hour speed limit. (The Guardian)
- Oh the Urbanity! posted a video in praise of the French tram system. (YouTube)
Blake Aued has been doing Streetsblog's daily national news digest for years. He's also an Atlanta Braves fan, which enrages his editor in New York.
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