however, many drivers along this expressway aren’t aware of its dark history: because the stretch of i-81 in syracuse is a viaduct, or raised above ground level, its construction sliced through and greatly disrupted a historically close-knit african american community. this was syracuse’s southside neighborhood, also known as the 15th ward. in the 1950s, the city saw this community as a burden. as a result, many families were displaced in order to construct i-81.

the highway has not only divided syracuse, but it may have also caused health problems. according to a report by the new york civil liberties union, neighborhoods near highways have notoriously significantly higher rates of asthma than other areas. a school, a park, as well as public housing neighborhoods with run-down sidewalks border i-81, which experiences high volumes of traffic. in addition to this potential health concern, living in these areas is also uncomfortably loud. under one bridge near dr. king elementary school, a volume of 85 decibels was measured using the decibel x decibel reader app. this is as loud as an alarm clock. to hear an example of the audio quality under this bridge, give a listen:

the future of i-81

the new york state department of transportation (nysdot) has designed a plan to turn the current syracuse corridor of i-81 into a street-level boulevard that will be funded by the state. this project is funded and led by the state government. the options were to leave the current viaduct alone, construct a new viaduct, or construct a boulevard, which is the current plan.

the current viaduct “is at the end of its useful life,” according to joe driscoll, the i-81 project manager for the city of syracuse. this means that the traffic that the viaduct currently carries is at a much higher level than originally anticipated. driscoll said that another reason for the removal of the viaduct is simply a safety issue: some homes are as close to the highway as seven feet. the removal of the viaduct will also connect the downtown, university, and southside neighborhoods of syracuse.

one concern of i-81’s deconstruction is that dust will travel throughout the surrounding area as the land is dug up. but despite a potential increase in respiratory issues, the long term effects of removing the highway could include the reconnection and revitalization of the communities that were once divided by it. driscoll described these negative effects as re-breaking a bone that did not heal properly in the first place. in other words, the effects of construction are necessary if the community that was broken is to heal.

there have been recent setbacks to i-81’s removal, such as a lawsuit by the group renew 81 for all that claims that construction will cause traffic issues and will not cut back on vehicle emissions. this lawsuit has temporarily paused construction, which was planned to begin fall 2022. now, the project will likely begin in spring of 2023.

rochester’s inner loop

less than two hours away, rochester’s inner loop is often called “the noose tied around rochester’s neck.” the inner loop creates a c-shaped expressway that connects to i-490, one of the main rochester highways. unfortunately, the construction of this route in the 1950s and 60s cut through an economically powerful black community, the 16th ward. as the loop was built, families left the neighborhood, as the sense of community was lost. 

this is not an isolated or accidental incident. the national interstate and defense highways act of 1956 established the network of highways that is seen across the united states today. this act caused highways to be built through many thriving black communities but was supported by president eisenhower, who was impressed and inspired by the efficiency of germany’s autobahn in wwii. in the end, the 1965 act has become associated by some with an ideology of racism and persecution. now, rochester and syracuse are taking steps to fix the damage done by these expressways.

rochester completed the inner loop east removal project in 2017, which removed roughly one-third of the loop and replaced it with a street-level grid. removing the eastern part of the highway caused long-term benefits for people’s health. “by removing the highway,” said erik frisch, the head of the inner loop north project, “we immediately saw a jump in bicycle and pedestrian volumes just by virtue of breaking down that barrier.” as well as the physical benefits, an increase in biking is associated with stronger communities.

rochester’s current inner loop north project will transform another third of the loop. like the inner loop east project, the north project’s goal is to revitalize the communities that the initial construction of the loop tore apart. the key, however, is avoiding gentrification. development should not be “at the expense of residents who are there now or were there historically” and that the “benefits accrue to them,” said frisch. he adds that rochester is considering a “community land trust…where the board is made up of stakeholders” to ensure that gentrification doesn’t affect the developed area.

the removals of 1-81 and the inner loop in syracuse and rochester represent a shift in american values. although these highways have physically represented the barriers that many black communities have faced, their removal is a major step forward. now, it is up to other cities in the united states to consider the value of their highways.

circumstances may have reached a new junction as one main project is underway on u.s. soil, and a $205 billion national hsr system proposal was recently introduced into congress. more importantly, studies show that hsr is a smart, economic and green plan; a case analysis for one proposal found that the system would create an 8:1 return on investment. 

what remains is determining which player is going to take on this long-awaited task: should the government or private entities fund development?  

why trains are so bad in the united states 

it may be hard to believe, but the u.s. was once the global poster child of railway transportation. cities were filled with street cars, and most people did not yet live in suburbs or own a car, making it sensible to travel from city to city on steam engines. 

but according to andy kunz, the president of the national high speed rail association (nhsra), that began to change after the world war ii economic-boom. the american lifestyle became associated with living far away from city centers and owning an automobile to get from place to place. by 1940, 60 percent of americans owned a car, and the government began relocating money in 1955 to build our current interstate highways.

“amtrak is basically the remnants of our history: leftovers after cuts from this and that,” kunz said. “since the government has spent trillions of dollars on building highways that connect every inch of america, there has been an anti-rail bias coming from congress, the white house, and the u.s. department of transportation.”

it was not until former president barack obama’s administration that $8 billion was set aside for the development of an hsr system. kunz said although he is more than appreciative of the funding, that money is just a fraction of what would be needed for a trans-continental system. 

unlike construction in other parts of the world, american developers face several bureaucratic hurdles and costs when building such large-scale projects, kunz added, namely environmental regulations and private land battles. 

“it’s like building a new highway: you can’t do it overnight,” he said.

the projects currently underway

despite bureaucratic and political pushback, enthusiasm from leaders like obama and rep. alexandria ocasio cortez has transformed american hsr from some fantasy into an expected service within the next couple of decades. 

the most ambitious publicly led effort is the california high speed rail association’s project, which is currently under phase one construction in the state’s central valley. according to boris lipkin, the authority’s northern regional director, the current goal is to have the train connect san francisco with los angeles by 2033 and expects to run on 100 percent clean energy, which would reduce between 1.5 to 1.8 million tons of carbon dioxide emissions by 2040. 

“i know california certainly likes to compare itself to other countries, but this kind of state-wide scale and magnitude is equivalent to what other nations have done,” lipkin said. 

once in operation, california’s trains will operate at over 200 miles per hour, which would be among the fastest in the world. to take on such a tremendous project, lipkin said the authority already has created 50,000 job years (which also represents employees who only worked for a few months), including 4,000 construction workers. 

the director added that despite covid-19 hurdles, california gov. gavin newsome’s executive order designates construction workers as essential employees. there are currently about 1,000 construction workers on site every week. 

“this is having big effects in the central valley, where many people in these communities have been hit hard and have been historically poorer than the rest of the state,” he said. 

although there are no private companies to break ground on a brand-new hsr system, the two most prominent efforts underway are the texas central railway to connect houston with dallas and virgin trains’ (formerly brightline trains) xpress west project connecting las vegas with los angeles. nevada recently allocated a $200 million bond to virgin trains, and the company said it plans to break ground by the end of 2020.

today’s debate: public or private hsr?

the question now isn’t whether we should be developing hsr: it’s now about who should oversee the development. 

some potential american hsr users, like transit-geek nathaniel zhu, believe american technological development is rooted in capitalism, and he said he believes hsr initiatives should observe current american space technology programs, where several private actors like virgin galactic, spacex, and boeing compete among one another to produce the best and most affordable technology. 

“the united states would be such a more efficient country if it had a high speed rail system,” zhu said. “for such a technologically advanced country, it’s a shame we don’t already have one.”

however, he said there is a distinction between innovation and economic sustainability and added that an american hsr would probably not help reduce automobile and plane use if ticket prices are not competitive.

having lived in both china and europe, he said the reason he used hsr in both places was because it was often a much more affordable and convenient alternative to flying or driving, and he acknowledged that publicly operated hsr systems do make hsr cheaper.

“until it’s treated as a public service and (while) ticket prices are still expensive, i don’t think i would even take a train from say chicago to minneapolis,” he said. 

others, like california’s boris lipkin, argue that the public sector is necessary for development because the government has a strong incentive to economically link together several communities it tresspasses, not just create a link between two cities.

unlike the project in texas, where both the houston and dallas stations are planned to be constructed on the city outskirts, lepkin said the california project will provide easy access to downtown stations and stop along smaller cities between san francisco and los angeles.

although more expensive, lipkin said the goal is to provide economic opportunities for the historically marginalized communities in the central valley — an investment that will offset the costs tremendously. 

“from an economic, equity, and connectivity standpoint, we want fresno to be an hour away from san jose; we want bakersfield to be an hour away from los angeles,” lipkin said. “that changes the entire way the state operates; it changes the way our economy works.” 

and in a few decades, it is quite possible that americans could have an hsr that would connect them from cities all across the country. in may, rep. seth moulton introduced a $205 billion economic recovery bill into congress that would provide the foundations for a national high speed rail system.

ultimately employing up to 1.16 million people, moulton’s plan would build off existing federal transit administration plans to provide new transportation alternatives for business commuters between large, innovative cities like chicago to milwaukee, portland to seattle, and dallas to oklahoma city.  

lipkin added the federal government historically has helped navigate transportation projects like the interstate system, so he said he would not be surprised if a future administration or congress would take on the project.

“federal funding will be a necessary component to finishing that project — i have no doubt in my mind about that,” he said.

perhaps one of the most reported stories in recent weeks leaves much to be desired. in the space of just 48 hours, 2,500 fires had been started in the amazon rainforest, not only placing at risk the trees that absorb 5% of annual emissions, but also the more than 10 million species of animals who claim the rainforest as their home. and, as usual, twitter is abuzz with haunting images of burning trees, most of which come from last decade, but hey, it’s the thought that counts! #prayforamazonas.

which begs the question, considering just how deadly these fires are, brazil must be scrambling to stamp them out, right? if this was what you thought, you’d be surprised.

because the only thing that catches faster than forest fires is a viral phenomenon known as the trump effect. it’s crossed the atlantic, reaching so far as england,/ and now, it could be spreading into south america. the latest victim is brazilian president jair bolsonaro, a long-time opponent of environmental advocacy in brazil, so much so that his people have dubbed him captain chainsaw, which isn’t a becoming title for someone in charge of 60% percent of the world’s largest carbon sink.

with this in mind, it should come as no surprise that when the amazon fires started, he told reporters, “the ministry of justice can send 40 men to combat the fight, but do you understand that? forty men. there are not enough resources. we are in chaos.” 

his failure to meet fire with fire (or in this case, water) was just one act in a docudrama of negligence.

bolsonaro reportedly spent the evening of aug. 23 watching standup from a prominent christian right-wing comic. and to add to the irony, he did this while his pre-recorded speech was broadcasting, the one apologizing for his inaction.

with a national emergency formally declared (48 hours of noxious destruction later), bolsonaro finally had grounds to call in the brazilian army to lend a hand (and pail) to the fire. but a bad taste still lingers in the mouths of many international spectators. 

as early as aug. 28, when these fires first made international news, bolsonaro was calling out environmental ngos in his country, professing that “there is a strong suspicion that people from the ngo’s lost the teat.” he suggested that environmental protection agencies were intentionally destroying swaths of the amazon to “bring about problems for brazil” after losing government funding. and if that sounds like a crackpot idea, it’s because it is.

when reporters asked bolsonaro for the basis of his so-called suspicions, he shot back, “for god’s sake, there’s no proof of that, nobody writes, ‘i will set fire to that.’” because of course, no one could possibly be careless enough to leave a paper trail of environmental neglect. except, that is, if you’re bolsonaro.

in the wake of this amazon disaster, open democracy uncovered incriminating powerpoint presentations used at a february meeting between bolsonaro’s government officials and leaders in the para state of brazil, home to the amazonia national park. one slide read, “development projects must be implemented on the amazon basin to integrate it into the rest of the national territory in order to fight off international pressure for the implementation of the so-called ‘triple a’ project.” triple a here refers to a group of multilateral conservation projects in the amazon rainforest, the andes mountains and the atlantic ocean, all of which bolsonaro has doggedly opposed.

what’s more? the powerpoint continues, “to do this, it is necessary to build the trombetas river hydroelectric plant, the Óbidos bridge over the amazon river, and the implementation of the br-163 highway to the border.” bolsonaro made it easy for us; there is no prevarication here, nor misdirection. the objective is loud and clear: stymie conservation efforts by damaging brazil’s natural resources. and, if you’ll kindly recall bolsonaro’s unfounded accusations of ngos working in his country, it seems he was guilty of the very behavior he decried.

in spite of all this inculpatory evidence, i think the mainstream media gives bolsonaro a lot of undeserved credit. how much of his decision to confront the amazonian conflagration is attributable to his altruistic and justified concern for brazil, and how much is just, uh…sem bolas?

shortly after his whole “40 firefighters” statement, france’s golden boy, president emmanuel macron, publicly threatened bolsonaro with an obstruction of the eu-mercosur free trade agreement, a groundbreaking trade deal between the two blocs that eliminates tariffs on agricultural goods from the mercosur bloc. macron, and virtually any other un member state, would have known that this was an incontrovertible pressure point, not just for brazil but also for argentina, paraguay, and uruguay, the other members of mercosur. 

the timing of this threat and bolsonaro’s reinstated commitment to the amazon fires just seems too quick, too reactionary, too…apprehensive. and, as usual, bolsonaro made his intentions clear when, in his aug. 23, evening speech he said, “forest fires exist in the whole world and this cannot serve as a pretext for possible international sanctions.” i don’t know, what could he possibly be nervous about? 

thankfully for him, a few leaders have stepped in to offer a reassuring squeeze. ok, more like one. in a recent tweet, president trump said, “our future trade prospects are very exciting and our relationship is strong, perhaps stronger than ever before.” sounds like trump really empathizes with bolsonaro’s plight. or maybe their priorities just align really well. after all, both are right-wing capitalists, climate change deniers, and have structured their entire campaigns around building stronger, more self-sufficient economies (fine print: through an unadulterated bashing of foreign competition). 

but the similarities don’t end there. bolsonaro’s rhetoric also displays uniquely trumpian tones, occasionally producing bewildering gems like “brazil is like a virgin that every pervert from the outside lusts for.” in all seriousness, that comment does deserve a second look because it offers us an incisive, behind-the-scenes peek at the primary motive behind his vehement anti-environmentalism: political control. 

bolsonaro has given the logging, mining, and farming industries in brazil clearance to annex land owned by native communities on the sole basis that they manage what he considers unreasonably vast amounts of wealth. similarly, he cannot distinguish between foreign aid and sovereignty infringement. look, for example, at how his administration views norway’s and germany’s generous donations to the amazon fund.

“we’re not naïve,” said brazilian chief of staff onyx lorenzoni, “there’s a view out in the world, sponsored by nongovernmental organizations, that relativizes brazil’s sovereignty over the amazon. here’s a little message: ‘don’t play around with us.’” 

the point is, bolsonaro is digging himself a precipitous hole, especially when he lets his own ego stand in the way of him and a $20 million donation from the g7. 

meu deus. the good people of twitter may need to change their tune. #prayforbolsonaro.

what silvero is referring to is the root of one of argentina’s recent causes of local fervor: a government push to monetize the national parks.

argentina is a nation that stretches across more than 2,200 miles from north to south, encompassing stunning national parks of varying land features. while the country hosts these astounding natural sites, the nation itself is facing a difficult economic period.

in late 2018, the argentine government announced a plan called “oportunidades naturales” (natural opportunities), what they deemed as “the call for sustainable tourism investments in natural areas throughout the country,” according to a translation of a government website.

the initiative “seeks to attract private investments for the development of tourist services in natural protected areas of the country.”

enter iguazú national park, a breathtaking wonder, home to waterfalls, plants and wildlife in the atlantic forest. the park is nestled along the iguazú river, which separates parts of argentina and brazil, though the falls stretch across both borders.

through this initiative, plans for constructing a tourist villa inside the famous iguazú national park were drawn out to increase profits from the national park. iguazú is just one of 20 parks impacted by this program.

the villa’s theme is “glamping” or “glamorous camping.” the attraction could be sited on land that has limited use, per the park’s management plan, according to a recent column in el independiente iguazú.

meanwhile, local residents of puerto iguazú, an argentine town near the park, have drawn their own line. and that line physically couldn’t be crossed when tourists tried to enter the national park in early february.

during the week of feb. 3, dozens of locals blockaded the entrance to the national park in protest of what the initiative could bring to iguazú national park.

dr. natalia vespa works with the institute of subtropical biology and moved from buenos aires to puerto iguazú 10 years ago. in february, vespa and jussara di benedetto, an outspoken resident of puerto iguazú, sat down with planet forward to talk about their experience within the park and the town.

“for national parks in argentina, the objective is to preserve the natural resources. that’s it,” vespa said in spanish. “aside from this objective, there should not be exploitation of these resources within these parks.”

in a translation of an official statement to planet forward from the national parks administration in argentina, they state that, “oportunidades naturales project does not consist of the installation and development of tourist villages, but is based on small-scale, sustainable, distant implementations.”

the statement declares that the program “is aimed at positioning argentina as a world destination for nature tourism, integrating this development as a tool for growth and promotion of regional economies and generating foreign exchange,” per a translation into english.

town already offers tourism opportunities

vespa said locals already are facing problems within the town of puerto iguazú and she fears that these strains on the relationship between the town and the park will only escalate if construction of the tourist villa within the national park is pursued.

“the town already has bad issues with the lights, water, and internet,” vespa said in spanish. she noted that many neighborhoods in the town went without water for two weeks last month.

puerto iguazú is greatly frequented by tourists, as it is a short 11-mile drive to the northwest of the national park and is host to many restaurants, hotels, casinos, bars, shops, and, of course, residents. much of what the proposed tourist villa would offer could stymie not only business but the needed attention to keep puerto iguazú afloat as a town. vespa fears that if the villa is pursued, puerto iguazú would further augment these issues and lack of attention.

currently, there are hotels within the national park on the argentine side and on the brazilian side.

in an article by misiones online published on feb. 19, vespa is quoted to saying that the national park already has a large public with infrastructure and benefits for tourism.

“we consider the implementation of a project that has its main objective to generate opportunities of touristic development, without solving the current problems that need to be addressed to mitigate the impact of tourism in the natural area, unnecessary,” according to a translation of the interview.

the protests in early february reflect the current sentiment of some locals. according to radio cataratas, organizers from la asamblea vecinal sent a note that expressed their desires for the cancelation of the “natural opportunities” project in the iguazú national park as a whole, noting plans for future protests.

for di benedetto, she sees the aforementioned protests as being exemplary of how things go in south america.

“we know that in argentina and all of latin america, there’s this condition of reproducing things,” di benedetto said, citing past revolutions and movements in the southern hemisphere. “clearly, we want this (the protests against the villa) to mark a precedent.”

going forward

beyond infrastructure problems and competition for tourists, there’s another issue on the minds of protesters.

a worker at the national park, who wished to remain anonymous, said he understood what drove so many puerto iguazú locals to protest the possible construction of the tourist villa in the park.

“many people think about the environmental impacts of the villa,” he said in spanish.

planet forward was told by the administration of national parks, “in the case of the iguazú national park, on a total of 67,000 hectares of total surface area, within the public use area, the actual utilization of the park visitation is reduced to 300 hectares (0.5%).

“in this sense, the oportunidades naturales project is studying interventions that, at most, foresee the use of only 12 hectares, previously intended for public use.”

but “the town (puerto iguazú) is small, too,” the anonymous park worker said. “because of this, people think that the tourists will only go to the tourist villa.”

while en route to town after a day spent in the national park with taxi driver silvero, planet forward interviewed him about his thoughts on reactions to the plans.

“we are going to have a lot of consequences that will hurt us if we don’t fight against this (the villa), and take care of nature,” silvero said passionately.

when asked if he fears an impact on his livelihood should the plans of a tourist villa be pursued, silvero said he is not. he simply wants nature to continue to be protected.

with the financial state that argentina is currently in and the promises for sustainability by the administration, ways to increase profits off of iguazú could offer benefits.

vespa, who has a doctorate in biological sciences, said, “the people of iguazú do want investments in tourism, but they should stay in puerto iguazú.”

the recent government shutdown’s effect on climate research could have unfortunate consequences in the near future, according to climate scientists.

all but one of the 200 researchers at the national oceanic and atmospheric administration were furloughed for 35 days, which put at risk data sets that help federal, state, and local governments prepare for natural disasters and inform policymakers about climate risks.

during the shutdown, updates to climate and hurricane models were halted. researchers did not have access to their computers, even to work on projects with non-government partners. missing data could lead to incorrect projections on issues like clean water, air pollutants and the public health impacts of climate change, according to andrew rosenberg, the director of the center for science and democracy at the union of concerned scientists. he said the importance of government researchers’ work tends to be underestimated.

“people think ‘oh, they just start again in a couple of months. what difference does it make?’ but that’s not really how science works,” rosenberg said.

an environmental protection agency report on coastal conditions is delayed due to the shutdown and could be missing data that can only be collected during the winter. but that’s not the only concern.

“air pollutants change seasonally,” rosenberg said. “so if you’re not collecting seasonal data on pollutants then you may have a hole in the data series. that means our predictions of pollutants may degrade, which means our prediction of public health impacts may degrade.”

the epa also plays an important role in monitoring the emergence of diseases like the zika virus, including paying attention to environmental conditions in which diseases thrive and identifying new potential viruses. the shutdown could leave policymakers underprepared for any potential outbreaks, according to rosenberg.

“they are monitoring the environmental conditions that allow diseases to emerge,” rosenberg said, “they are monitoring new diseases that are coming on board, that are identified in conjunction with cdc and other organizations.”

the shutdown’s effect on climate change research also could affect u.s. leadership abroad on the issue, which already has been waning since president trump announced in 2017 he was pulling the u.s. out of the paris climate agreement.

at a recent hearing of the house committee on science, space and technology, chairwoman eddie bernice johnson questioned climate change researchers about the effects the shutdown had on the epa’s research.

dr. robert kopp, a climate science professor from rutgers university, said members of the epa were unable to attend international meetings on climate research, even remotely, which made the u.s. seem unreliable.

“if we are an unreliable partner in international collaborations that does make it harder for us to be a leader,” kopp said.

dr. jennifer francis, a scientist at the woods hole research center in massachusetts, cited similar concerns.

“there were several major scientific conferences that occurred during the shutdown and a large number of government employees were unable to attend and present the research that they had been working on for literally years,” francis said.

according to francis, there were also delays at the epa for processing proposals for new research, which will “delay the progress of science.”

“everything you’ve heard about climate change is driven by data and those data need to be collected,” said kristie ebi, a climate science professor at the university of washington. “you can’t make up data. you can’t go back and regenerate what you didn’t collect.”

there seems to be an invisible hand tugging from big oil, keeping a dying industry on the playing field at an unfair advantage.

our children’s trust, with a group of 21 young plaintiffs from all four corners of the country and everywhere in between, have called in the judicial branch as a referee. they hope to put a halt to irresolute treaties and talks; they’re calling for a concrete, national science-based climate recovery plan. 

“climate denial in court is perjury,” said jacob lebel, 21, a plaintiff in the case. “the courts are seen as a place where that dialogue, and that change, can still happen.” (full disclosure: lebel was a planet 世界杯欧洲预选赛免费直播 for the 2016-17 school year, and a 2017 storyfest winner. he did not cover his court case while contributing to planet forward.)

spearheaded by human rights attorney julia olsen, lebel and the other young plaintiffs have filed the case juliana v. u.s., on the grounds that continuous administrations have ignored their own commissioned experts on the dangers that climate change poses to our nation.

the trust, a nonprofit organization, aims to elevate “the voice of youth to secure the legal right to a stable climate and healthy atmosphere for the benefit of all present and future generations.”

the case was filed in 2015 against the obama administration and federal government. the obama administration responded with a motion to dismiss. meanwhile, big oil interest groups intervened on behalf of the defendants, and have subsequently withdrawn. the motion to dismiss was denied, and accompanied by a withdrawal from the case by big oil. a court date was set for february 2018. but the change in administration brought forth a petition for writ of mandamus — a final attempt to dismiss the case — and the proceedings were once again put on hold. however, on march 7, the petition for writ of mandamus was denied by the ninth circuit court without prejudice, and the case will move forward on oct. 29.

a long history of governmental indifference

the case itself is relatively new, but its history extends back centuries. according to the case, the united states has emitted 25.5% of the world’s cumulative carbon dioxide emissions from within its borders between 1751 and 2014. scientists have known since the late 19th century that the increase of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere would elevate the earth’s surface temperature.

in the mid 1960s, the administrations of both presidents lyndon johnson and richard nixon were warned by advisors that increased carbon dioxide levels would adversely affect the livelihood of american citizens. then, in the late 80’s, the director of nasa testified before congress that effects from carbon pollution in the atmosphere were already being observed.

a report from the environmental protection agency (epa) submitted to congress in the early 1990s concluded that reductions in carbon dioxide emissions were the only way to stabilize the climate. following the epa report, the congressional office of technology assessment (ota) delivered to congress a comprehensive conservation, energy-supply, and conservation package that could lower carbon dioxide emissions 35% from 1987 levels, and save the federal government $20 billion per year.

the senate responded by ratifying the united nations framework convention on climate change (unfccc) with a vague objective: the “stabilization of greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere at a level that would prevent dangerous anthropogenic interference with the climate system.”

almost 30 years and countless non-binding treaties later — including the recent paris accord — we are still at a standstill with the implementation of a national carbon dioxide emission reduction plan. instead, the total u.s. production and consumption of fossil fuels has increased and public lands have been leased excessively for the production of fossil fuels, much of which has been driven by federal subsidy money, according to the lawsuit.

“we don’t want the courts themselves to make policy, we’re not asking for a carbon tax per se, or a particular policy, because that’s the job of congress and that’s the job of the president’s office and the agencies,” lebel said.

the aim of the case is to create a concrete emissions reduction goal that is legally binding. from there, it is the job of the executive agencies to decide how to reach this goal.

local representation based on climate science

just decisions, however, are not possible without accurate representation. a lot of the decision making power for local energy projects comes down to a non-elected, politically appointed board of five commissioners at the federal energy regulatory commission in washington d.c., according to lebel.

lebel’s frustration with the federal energy regulatory commission starts in his backyard in oregon, where the jordan cove natural gas pipeline was proposed to run on land a mile off the border of his family farm. eminent domain allows the government to seize private land for public use in situations that would benefit the public, as long as the landowners are justly compensated. the concept was originally for public utilities that the majority of the public benefitted from without destroying vital resources. the landowners affected by this pipeline would be monetarily compensated, but lebel and others — republican and democrat alike — agree that the land has intrinsic value worth more than a payoff.

if the majority of the community benefits from a project like this, and it doesn’t destroy vital resources or endanger the community to a high degree, there would not be as much opposition as there is today on these pipeline projects like standing rock and jordan cove, according to lebel. seeming indifference from the commissioners prompted lebel to become more involved in agency meetings and eventually led him to a five day fast in washington, d.c. to raise awareness of the issue.

“perhaps these should be elected commissioners if they’re holding this much power over our energy system,” lebel said.

the national oil economy is driven by projects such as these; projects where local residents have no representation in the decision making process.

“we want the climate science to be recognized and implemented at the highest levels of the government,” lebel said.

another young person involved in the jordan cove fight reached out to lebel and asked if he would like to join him in a case challenging the u.s. government’s fossil fuel policy with other youths across the country. our children’s trust started from a local, grassroots level; many youths in the case have similar experiences with local energy projects or indirect effects of climate change that have degraded the environment around them.

for lebel, on the west coast, this involves more intense fire seasons, for plaintiffs in louisiana and florida this involves more intense flooding. regulating carbon dioxide emissions top-down from a federal level could result in more concrete local solutions.

court legislation as a catalyst for change

throughout history some of the most progressive change has happened when polarization has brought an issue to its breaking point. lebel says that brown v. board of education is an inspiration to this case; the public will wasn’t quite there yet for desegregation but the courts stepped in to defend the rights that were being violated.

according to the yale program on climate change communication, 74% of the u.s. population does support the regulation of carbon dioxide as a pollutant. the climate science has convinced the people, and now the government and private sector need to catch up.

“there’s real, tangible, constitutional rights being violated here through our government’s actions and historical actions,” lebel said.

the lawsuit holds the executive agencies and private sector accountable for these constitutional violations while allowing freedom in the implementation of these goals. climate change extends beyond the realm of fossil fuel emissions: from deforestation and soil degradation to over-consumption and ecosystem collapse. it is a multifaceted problem that garners a multifaceted solution. however, to lebel the root of the problem stems from something simple.

“i actually don’t believe that our problem is that climate change is too complex, the problem is that there’s no will to act,” he said. “there is a deliberate indifference, there is a deliberate ignorance of what these decisions at the level of our government and policies are doing to my generation, to our children’s generation, and to our entire planet: our entire life support system.”

here are the top five interesting updates in federal sustainability we heard about at greengov:

1. the general services administration (gsa) just issued a proposal request to have solar roofs installed on 18 federal buildings throughout the national capital region.

the photovoltaic array on top of the u.s. department of energy headquarters. (source: national renewable energy laboratory, u.s. department of energy)

this is part of the capital solar challenge that has federal agencies competing to see whose buildings can become most efficient. if approved, gsa will enter a power purchase agreement contract with a single contractor to purchase electricity generated from these photovoltaic systems for a base period of ten years.

this is awesome because a large capital investment from a buyer such as the government gives the renewable energy sector leverage to expand and extend further opportunities in solar to other agencies, big companies, and small businesses alike. with solar the second fastest growing energy sector, this is great news for the climate.

2.the u.s. navy has an all-electric ship, the uss zumwalt ddg 1000.

 
the zumwalt-class guided-missile destroyer ddg 1000 is floated out of dry dock at the general dynamics bath iron works shipyard. the ship, the first of three zumwalt-class destroyers, will provide independent forward presence and deterrence, support special operations forces and operate as part of joint and combined expeditionary forces. the lead ship and class are named in honor of former chief of naval operations adm. elmo r. “bud” zumwalt jr., who served as chief of naval operations from 1970-1974. (source: u.s. navy, photo courtesy of general dynamics)

the uss zumwalt’s microgrid generates and distributes electrical energy everywhere in the ship, so its propellers and drive shafts are turned by electric motors instead of being directly attached to combustion engines. this could pave the way for future integration of biogas and other renewable energy sources in military vessels and vehicles. hopefully these electrical systems and energy efficiency innovations will then trickle down into the next generation of civilian electric vehicles.

3. by 2022, the u.s. aims to become the first nation in the world to produce plug-in electric vehicles (evs) that are as cheap and convenient as gas vehicles.

 
an all-electric nissan leaf charging at an event in washington, d.c. (source: national renewable energy laboratory, department of energy)

the ev-everywhere challenge, announced by president obama in march 2012, calls for collaboration between the private sector, the federal government, states and communities, national laboratories, universities, nongovernmental organizations, and individual consumers to modernize the grid, increase charger accessibility, and generate larger demand for evs and ev infrastructure.

4. federal agencies are required to buy eco-friendly bio-based products such as hand soap derived from soybeans, furniture from sunflower hull wood or disposable spoons from potatoes.

 
soy-based products. (source: united soybean board)

where purchases exceed more than $10,000 per fiscal year, federal agencies are required to give preference to the products with the highest percentage of bio-based content (these items can be made with biodegradable plastics and adhesives, construction materials, paper, plastics, plant and vegetable inks, and more). this green purchasing program, in substituting bio-based products for fossil energy-based products, will increase demand for domestic crops and feedstock. because there are less synthetic chemicals involved in the production, consumption and disposal of these items, they’re a lot better for the environment.

5. retrofitting in one gsa building on the virgin islands is going to create net-zero energy consumption and save $500,000 in the first year.

christiansted, st. croix, us virgin islands. facing north. photo taken on the slopes of recovery hill. (source: jason p. heym)

as part of the deep retrofit challenge, gsa went into a 19-year energy savings performance contract with schneider electric to upgrade the almeric christian federal building. they upgraded the building’s chilled water and automated energy metering systems, made improvements to interior and exterior lighting, heating and cooling systems to maximize efficiency, and added solar photovoltaic panels. these changes will result in a savings of 962,916 kilowatt hours per year, which provides enough energy for 100 percent of the building’s baseline usage.

in order to talk the talk, you’ve got to walk the walk. the u.s. government is making strides to lead by example, as shown by these, and more recent federal sustainability initiatives. to see more on the greengov symposium, visit the event website. 

(photo at top: kathleen merrigan, far right, moderates a q&a on executive order 13693 with christy goldfuss, managing director for the white house council on environmental quality, and kate brandt, federal chief sustainability officer for the council on environmental quality. merrigan is the executive director of sustainability at the george washington university. / source: eleanor davis/gwu)

with cities and counties struggling to emerge from the down economy, clean energy development has been an economic and environmental bright spot. as berkeley law and ucla law discuss in the 2009 report “in our backyard,” california possesses numerous opportunities to deploy solar and wind energy facilities in existing urbanized areas, such as along highways and on large commercial rooftops. governor jerry brown is working with berkeley law to develop policies to achieve 12,000 megawatts of such deployment, underscoring the state’s commitment to this issue.