China's battle plans in war on air pollution under scrutiny

Last fall, 29-year-old Fang Da, an entrepreneur and cycling enthusiast, suddenly found himself in the midst of a coughing fit after biking near his home in Hangzhou, in eastern China.
So he went to the Internet and started learning just how serious the air pollution problem was. Fang's curiosity quickly turned into an obsession.  http://www.latimes.com/world/asia/chi-la-fg-china-la-smog-policy-20140909-story.html#page=1
Article courtesy of the Los Angeles Times by Julie McKinen

From Duck Boats to Gondolas: Group Floats Back Bay Canal Plan

A new report suggests Boston could build canals to help withstand future water-level increases caused by climate change, according to The Boston Globe.

A canal system is just one of the suggestions contained in a report from the local chapter of the Urban Land Institute on how the region could respond to the effects of climate change.

Other suggestions include raising the Harborwalk, which rings the waterfront, to act as a stronger barrier for nearby buildings, adding breakwaters in the harbor, and creating wetlands that would act as sponges during periods of high water. http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/2014/09/30/from-duck-boats-gondolas-group-floats-back-bay-canal-plan/KHJuRCprxMH41mwXup03fK/story.html?p1=Topofpage:sub_headline_1

Article courtesy of The Boston Globe by Jack Pickell / boston.com staff

 

Half of North American bird species threatened by climate change

Half of all bird species in North America — including the bald eagle — are at risk of severe population decline by 2080 if the swift pace of global warming continues, the National Audubon Society concluded in a study released Monday. http://www.latimes.com/science/la-me-adv-birds-climate-change-20140909-story.html#
Article courtesy of The Los Angeles Times by Louis Sahagun

U.N. climate agency reports carbon dioxide growing at alarming rate

Carbon dioxide accumulation in the atmosphere reached a record high last year and grew at the fastest rate in 30 years, the United Nations' climate agency reported Tuesday.
The World Meteorological Organization's latest Greenhouse Gas Bulletin "injected even greater urgency into the need for concerted international action against accelerating and potentially devastating climate change," the U.N. agency said. http://www.latimes.com/world/europe/la-fg-un-climate-carbon-dioxide-20140909-story.html#
Article courtesy of The Los Angeles Times by Carol J. Williams

Communities going into power business to cut cost, carbon footprint

Sonoma County, which enticed Americans to forsake factory-made food for artisan wines and farmers market produce, now wants consumers to reconsider another everyday commodity.
New on the menu: locally curated energy.http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-sonoma-power-20140902-story.html#
Article courtesy of the Los Angeles Times by Evan Halper

Downtown L.A. streetcar line cost estimate is shaved by $55 million

Building a streetcar line in downtown Los Angeles may cost about $55 million less than officials previously said — an estimate that has buoyed the spirits of the project's supporters

http://www.latimes.com/local/cityhall/la-me-streetcar-cost-20140903-story.html#

Article courtesy of the Los Angles Times by Laura J. Nelson