Charles Komanoff
Recent Posts
Lithium Mining: The Hidden Environmental Cost of EVs
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The Green New Deal is clearly better than our carbon-based catastrophic course. But it also depends on massive amounts of lithium — and extracting it will carry a big environmental cost of its own.
KOMANOFF: Beware the EV Congestion Boomerang
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So, policymakers, be careful what you wish for when EVs are concerned: If congestion increases because of an exemption for electric vehicles, a primary benefit of congestion pricing disappears.
U.S. Must Reverse the Charges on Diesel Tampering
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If New York State were as diligent as California at preventing emissions tampering by owners of diesel pickup trucks, the resulting health gains could exceed $120 million.
How to Stop Emissions Tampering
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Combustion vehicles invite law-breaking. Petro-masculinity is deep-seated in American culture. But California, at least, has vanquished emissions tampering. These are the takeaways from last week's report of super-spreader pickup trucks.
Downturn in U.S. Driving Led to Global CO2 Decline
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U.S. cars and trucks, the source of 5 percent of world carbon emissions, have accounted for a whopping 20 percent of this year’s global dip in carbon pollution. Can we keep that going?
Why Restaurant Patio Heaters Might Be a Net Gain for the Climate
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We asked our columnist — the nation's leading expert on carbon emissions — whether winter heat lamps will destroy or save our city. He came down on the latter.
NY Times Starts Embracing ‘Future without Cars’
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Times opinion writer Farhad Manjoo did more than just illustrate a vision for a car-free city that many of us have been championing, he did so in a way that clearly put the topic on the map for readers of the Gray Lady.
Coronavirus Will Go Away. Congestion Pricing Must Not
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All four bedrock conditions that justified congestion pricing in the first place will almost certainly remain — yes, even after COVID-19.
Tax Carbon to Hurt Saudis for Killing Khashoggi
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This story was originally published by the Carbon Tax Center. It is reprinted here with permission. It’s often said that a carbon tax is first and foremost a tax on coal. I’ve probably said it myself, and David Roberts wrote as much the other day in his useful post for Vox, “The 5 most important questions […]
A Carbon Tax Could Recoup Trump’s MPG Standards Cut
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All told, a carbon tax would suppress carbon dioxide emissions eight times as much as the mileage freeze will elevate them.
The New Climate Villain Is Cheap Oil
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Long-term climate prospects brightened somewhat in 2015. Pope Francis put climate care on the moral and political agenda. President Obama rejected the Keystone XL dirty-oil pipeline. Denialist heads of state were routed in Canada and Australia, and their brethren in the U.S. faced growing ridicule. To cap it off, nearly 200 nations signed the UN Paris […]
Safety in Bike-Share: Why Do Public Bikes Reduce Risk for All Cyclists?
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What if Yankees legend Yogi Berra had followed a season with 24 homers and 144 hits with one featuring 27 homers and 189 hits? Would the baseball scribes have declared “Yogi Power Shortage” because only one in seven hits was a homer instead of one in six? Duh, no. The headlines would have read, “Yogi […]